Prevalence of malocclusion and awareness of dental appearance in young adults.
The aims of this study were to determine the remaining subjective and objective need for orthodontic treatment, symptoms of CMD, and headache. 120 boys and 121 girls at 19 years of age participated. They were registered with casts and were sent a questionnaire about chewing ability, headache, subjective symptoms of CMD and experience of orthodontic treatment. They were also asked to give their opinion of their own teeth by putting a mark on a line. The results showed that 89.6% of the adolescents had a normal sagittal molar relationship and 9.6% a postnormal molar relationship. Space conditions of the upper and lower incisors displayed a large range. Most of the adolescents were satisfied with their dentition even though a large range was obvious. Factors of significance for the subjects' subjective opinion of their dentition were space conditions, overjet and inclination of upper incisors. It was concluded that the remaining need of treatment was low, girls being more interested in treatment than boys. The boys' and girls' subjective opinions of their own teeth after treatment were similar. Orthodontic treatment clearly increased the subjects' subjective appreciation of their own teeth.
Jacobson
S
S
Department of Orthodontics, Postgraduate Dental Education Centre, Orebro, Sweden.
Lennartsson
B
B
D000328:Adult; D001828:Body Image; D017271:Craniomandibular Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D008409:Mastication; D009971:Orthodontics, Corrective