title: Lack of knowledge among parents, of the implications of receiving orthodontic treatment.
abstract: In a survey of parental knowledge of the complications of orthodontic treatment it was surprising to find how few 'experienced' parents knew that dental decay could occur beneath an appliance or that, after treatment ceased, there might be some relapse. Experienced parents were defined as those who had children who had received or were receiving treatment, or who had been patients themselves. Self-administered questionnaires were delivered to 600 parents of 9-year-old children randomly selected from school rolls in two areas of South East England. Among the 430 replies received, 123 were from parents with experience of orthodontic treatment. Only 41 per cent of them knew that decay could occur beneath a fixed appliance and less than a third that relapse could occur after treatment ceased.
authors.affiliation: King's College London, UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pratelli
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gelbier
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Gibbons
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D002648:Child; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000209:etiology; D004739:England; D006267:Health Education, Dental; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009967:Orthodontic Appliances / Q000009:adverse effects; D009971:Orthodontics, Corrective / Q000523:psychology; D010290:Parents; D012008:Recurrence; D012423:Rural Health; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014504:Urban Health