Associations between normative and self-perceived orthodontic treatment needs in young-adult dental patients

Objective: Our aim was to determine the correlation between dental treatment need as assessed by the components of the index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN) and a self-evaluation questionnaire in a population selected from the dental clinics of Shiraz, Iran. Methods: The dental treatment needs of 240 participants (120 men and 120 women) were measured On the basis of the IOTN dental health component (IOTN-DHC), IOTN aesthetic component (IOTN-AC), IOTN AC determined by the examiner (IOTN-ACE), and a self-evaluation questionnaire (SEQ). The correlations between the treatment needs assessed by all the methods as well as the correlations of the treatment needs with age and gender were assessed using a Spearman's correlation coefficient (alpha = 0.01). Results: All methods were significantly correlated (p <= 0.001). The associations of IOTN-ACE with IOTN-DHC and SEQ were moderately significant (rho = 0.49 and 0.41, respectively). The associations of IOTN-AC with IOTN-DHC and SEQ were weakly significant (rho = 0.24 and 0.35, respectively). The IOTN-DHC was moderately associated with SEQ (rho = 0.53). Gender and age were not associated with treatment needs estimated by any of the methods used (p > 0.06). Conclusions: The correlations between the self-evaluation and the IOTN components in young adults were close to those reported in children, and IOTN-ACE was more reliable than IOTN-AC. (Korean J Orthod 2011;41(6):440-446)