Perceived aesthetic impact of malocclusion in 16-24 year-old adults in the rural areas of India

Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the self-perception of patients toward their dental appearance using the aesthetic component (AC) of index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN) index and whether age and gender had any influence on it. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the perceived esthetic impact of malocclusion in 16-24 year-old subjects selected from the rural population of Faridabad, Haryana, India. The sample was divided into two groups, older adolescents and younger adults, and the AC of the IOTN index was applied. Results: The results showed that most subjects scored themselves as having an attractive dentition with no need for orthodontic treatment (60.91%). Gender-wise differences were not found to be statistically significant in relation to the perceived needs (P = 0.095), whereas age-wise differences were found to be statistically significant in relation to the perceived needs (P < 0.001). Conclusion: While the age seemed to have an impact on the perceived esthetic impact of malocclusion, the gender did not seemingly influence this self-perception