Self-Perceived Dental Esthetics and Orthodontic Treatment Need

Introduction: Individual's concerns dental esthetics is an essential factor influencing the psychosocial orthodontic treatment. Objectives: To explore the self-perceived dental esthetics of adult individuals and to evaluate their subjective orthodontic treatment needs on esthetic grounds. Materials and Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study utilized a self-administered questionnaire distributed among a random sample of the general population. A total of 1014 participants (737 female, 277 male) completed the questionnaire, which included Aesthetic Component of Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (AC-IOTN) and Oral Aesthetics Subjective Impact Score (OASIS). Results: Spearman correlation test revealed a statistically significant relationship between the OASIS and the AC-IOTN (r=0.37, P=0.005). The positive association indicated that as the individual's OASIS score increased, suggesting a greater concern about dental esthetics, his or her orthodontic treatment needs also increased on the AC-IOTN. Furthermore, the demand for orthodontic treatment was significantly influenced by gender. Conclusion: There was a weak association that indicating when the patient's esthetic self- satisfaction decreased, the subjective need for orthodontic treatment increased. For this reason, we suggest that it is important to consider patients' perceptions of their own dental esthetics in orthodontic treatment planning. Gender differences should likewise be considered.