Body image, self-concept, and the orthodontic patient

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Orthodontics
• Body Image Research

Background:

• Body image and self-concept are crucial aspects of psychological well-being.
• Orthodontic treatment can influence patients' perceptions of their appearance and self-esteem.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare body-image and self-concept satisfaction and importance across different groups: orthodontic patients in retention, prospective orthodontic patients, a general population sample, and mothers of prospective patients.
• To investigate the influence of age and gender on these perceptions.
• To examine the relationship between malocclusion type and psychological factors.

Main Methods:

• Four distinct groups were established for comparison.
• Relationships between groups and subgroups were analyzed concerning body-image and self-concept satisfaction and importance.
• Statistical analyses were performed to identify significant differences based on group, age, gender, and malocclusion type.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in body-image and self-concept satisfaction or importance were found between prospective orthodontic patients and the general population sample, or between prospective and retention orthodontic patients.
• Prospective orthodontic patients placed significantly higher importance on self-concept than their mothers perceived.
• Girls reported significantly lower body-image and self-concept satisfaction than boys.
• Patients with Class III malocclusion exhibited significantly lower scores in all body-image and self-concept categories compared to other malocclusion groups.

Conclusions:

• Orthodontic treatment status does not appear to significantly impact body-image and self-concept satisfaction compared to the general population.
• Adolescents' self-perception of self-concept importance may differ from their parents' perceptions.
• Gender and specific malocclusion types are associated with variations in body-image and self-concept satisfaction among adolescents.