Parents' awareness towards preventive and interceptive orthodontic treatment.

OBJECTIVES

This study aims to assess the awareness and acceptance of preventive and interceptive orthodontic treatment among Saudi perents.

METHODS

The study used a 29-question questionnaire, covering parents' demographic data, parents' awareness of malocclusion and habits, and parents' acceptance of treatment. It included visuals of different malocclusions, normal occlusion, and specific habits.

RESULTS

Parents mostly recognized single anterior tooth crossbite (95.78%) as a problem that need early intervention, followed by skeletal Class II (94.16%) and severe lower incisor crowding (93.51%). Regarding oral habits, parents were most aware of thumb sucking (91.03%), followed by tongue thrusting (84.22%). Ninety seven percent of participating parents expressed high acceptance of early orthodontic intervention, mostly to avoid more complicated treatment or surgery. However, a few parents refused early treatment, mainly because they preferred to wait until the eruption of all permanent teeth.

CONCLUSIONS

The majority of parents demonstrated a high level of awareness and willingness to pursue early treatment.