Desire for orthodontic treatment and associated factors among adolescents in southern Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of the desire for orthodontic treatment and investigate associated factors among adolescents in southern Brazil. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out with 704 adolescents aged 12 and 13 years at municipal public schools in the city of Balneário Camboriú (southern Brazil). The adolescents answered a previously tested questionnaire addressing satisfaction with their dental appearance, speech function, chewing function, and the desire for orthodontic treatment. The parents/guardians answered a questionnaire addressing satisfaction with their child's dental appearance and socioeconomic variables. A trained and calibrated orthodontist collected clinical data on malocclusion using the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI). Statistical analysis was performed using multivariate Poisson regression with robust variance. RESULTS: The prevalence of the desire for orthodontic treatment was 69.6% (490/704). In the adjusted analysis, the outcome was significantly more prevalent among girls (P < .001), those with difficulty chewing (P = .026), those dissatisfied with their dental appearance (P < .001), and those with greater malocclusion severity (P < .001). The following orthodontic characteristics were associated with the desire for orthodontic treatment in the multivariate model: diastema in anterior segment (P < .001), anterior maxillary irregularity (P < .001), maxillary overjet ≥6 mm (P < .001), and mandibular overjet (P = .047). CONCLUSIONS: The desire for orthodontic treatment among 12- and 13-year-old adolescents is influenced by gender, dissatisfaction with one's dental appearance, difficulty chewing, malocclusion severity, and orthodontic characteristics. These findings should be considered together with normative indications regarding the need for orthodontic treatment in adolescents.