Evaluation of the effects of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment on self-esteem in an adolescent population.
BACKGROUND
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment on adolescent self-esteem.


METHODS
A total of 4509 middle school students were clinically evaluated for dental crowding. Lip protrusion was also measured with a specially designed ruler. Rosenberg's self-esteem scale was used to determine each subject's level of self-esteem.


RESULTS
The results showed that sex played a role in the relationship between self-esteem and malocclusion. For the girls, crowding of the anterior teeth had significant effects on their self-esteem; however, there was no significant difference in the boys' self-esteem. After fixed orthodontic treatment, the girls had higher self-esteem than the untreated malocclusion group. Girls with an ideal profile and good tooth alignment also showed higher self-esteem than students with crowding or protrusion.


CONCLUSIONS
This clinical study proved that malocclusion and fixed orthodontic treatment can affect self-esteem in adolescent girls.
Jung
Min-Ho
MH
Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea. fortit@chol.com
D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D004955:Esthetics, Dental / Q000523:psychology*; D005145:Face / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008046:Lip / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D009971:Orthodontics, Corrective / Q000523:psychology*; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000523:psychology*; D012016:Reference Values; D012649:Self Concept; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D012917:Social Adjustment