Awareness of orthodontic treatment need and perceptions of dental attractiveness among school children

Aim: The study aimed at assessing awareness about their own orthodontic treatment need and their perceptions about the dental attractiveness in school children. Subjects and Methods: The random sample of 200 school children (126 boys, 74 girls), aged 9-16 years was selected and categorized into eight different groups according to their occlusion after the dental check-up. Their own orthodontic treatment need and perception of the dental attractiveness was assessed by using questionnaire and was scored by showing eight intraoral frontal photographs and assessing their responses. Statistical Analysis Used: Chi-square test. Results: About 86% of school children considered well-aligned teeth important for overall facial appearance. School children scored photos having severe crowding (95.5%), highly placed canine (86.5%), and Class II Division 2 (70.5%) as most unattractive. 69.5% students did not feel the need of orthodontic treatment and 14.5% students did not know about orthodontic treatment. Conclusion: The study concluded that after showing positive perception toward dental attractiveness, when similar malocclusion was observed in them, they did not feel the need for orthodontic treatment due to lack of awareness. The study emphasizes the need to increase awareness especially among school children about different malocclusion and importance of orthodontic treatment as it is advantageous in preventing further complications.