Perceived need for orthodontic treatment among 10-18-year-old patients and their parents in Tanzania

BACKGROUND: Parents tend to influence children’s initiating orthodontic treatment. Thus, it is important to determine children’s perceived need for treatment as it may differ from their parents’perception.AIM: To assess the perceived dental aesthetics, determine the perceived orthodontic treatment need among patients, and compare it withtheir parent’s perception.MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study involved 10-18-year-old orthodontic patients and their parents attending the clinic. Data was collected through self-administered questionnaires for the patients and the parents for socio-demographic data and the Aesthetic Component (AC) of Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) index to assess dental aesthetics.RESULTS: The patients were 10-18 years old with a mean age of 14 (+/-1.9 SD). More patients (68.2%) scored themselves in the ‘No treatment need’ category of the AC of the IOTN compared to parents (39.6%) who scored their children in this category. Moreover, parents’ aesthetic scores were strongly associated with patient’s perceived need for orthodontic treatment (p<0.001).CONCLUSIONS: The self-reported need for orthodontic treatment among the patients was lower than the need for treatment as perceived by their parents. Parent’s perception of dental aesthetics significantly influenced the self-perceived need for treatment among the patients.