RETRACTED ARTICLE: Self-perception of malocclusion among Saudi adolescents using the aesthetic component of the IOTN

Abstract

This study was carried out to assess the self-perception of dental appearance among Saudi adolescents in Qassim province using aesthetic component (AC) of the index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN) to compare it with an orthodontist’s rating and whether the age and gender had any influence on it. A sample of 600 randomly selected school adolescents comprising 297 (49.5%) males and 303 (50.5%) females with age range of 12–17 years old were included in the study. The AC of the IOTN, was the instrument used to measure the perception of malocclusion by both the school adolescents and the orthodontist. t test and Chi-square statistics were used to analyze the data with statistical significance set at P < 0.05. Majority of the students (86.7%) scored themselves as having an attractive dentition with no need of orthodontic treatment. There was a significant difference between the orthodontists' rating and the students' rating (P < 0.05). Further, the gender was not found to be statistically significant in relation to the self-perception of treatment need (P = 0.123), while the age was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.001). A significant difference was found between the orthodontists' rating and the students' ratings of the attractiveness of their occlusions. The age was found to influence the self-perception of orthodontic treatment need, whereas the gender was not found to have any influence. Therefore, for effective orthodontic treatment plan, the self-perception of dental appearance must be taken into consideration to ensure patient satisfaction.