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Children's perceptions of their own malocclusions
British Journal of Orthodontics
|January 1, 1983
Summary
Parents and children often underestimate the severity of malocclusion, showing low reliability in assessing their own orthodontic needs. This perception gap impacts the desire for orthodontic treatment.
Area of Science:
- Dentistry
- Orthodontics
- Psychology
Background:
- Parental and child recognition of occlusal abnormalities influences orthodontic treatment decisions.
- Non-orthodontists may inaccurately assess malocclusion severity compared to specialists.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability of parents' and children's perceptions of malocclusion severity.
- To compare these perceptions with orthodontists' assessments.
- To test the influence of anchoring stimuli on perception ratings.
Main Methods:
- Utilized rating scales under two anchoring conditions to assess malocclusion perceptions.
- Compared parent and child self-assessments with evaluations from a panel of orthodontists.
Main Results:
- Parental and child assessments demonstrated limited test-retest reliability.
- Participants consistently provided low estimates of malocclusion severity, avoiding guesswork.
- Anchoring stimuli did not significantly alter these effects.
Conclusions:
- Parental and child perceptions of malocclusion are unreliable and tend to underestimate severity.
- The discrepancy between lay perceptions and orthodontic assessments highlights potential barriers to seeking timely treatment.
- Further research is needed to understand and address these perceptual differences in orthodontic care.