Knowledge and Awareness among Parents of Children with Functional Orthodontic Appliances in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia: A Cross Sectional Study

Background: To prevent damage to orthodontic appliances, providing comprehensive education to parents and patients is crucial, ensuring successful assessment and treatment in orthodontics. This study aims to assess the level of knowledge and awareness among parents of patients seeking functional orthodontic appliance therapy at the Orthodontic & Pediatric Dentistry Centre of Riyadh Elm University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out among the parents of children seeking functional orthodontic appliance therapy at the Orthodontic & Pediatric Dentistry Centre of Riyadh Elm University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A structured, close-ended, and self-administered questionnaire consisting of a demographic section and nine items on knowledge and awareness of functional orthodontic appliances was distributed to the parents, and the responses were collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square test.

Results: A total of 301 parents agreed to participate in the study. Nearly 99.3% of parents said a beautiful smile helps a child's personality develop. Almost 37.9% agree that the malocclusion was caused by heredity and poor oral hygiene. Over half (51.2%) of parents knew that early primary tooth loss would result in permanent teeth or space maintainers. Nearly 42.9 percent of parents agreed to see an orthodontist for their child, but less than half said seven years was the right age. Parents (71.8%) knew age affects orthodontic treatment outcomes. Over half (59.1%) of parents knew about orthodontic appliance breakage, and 20.9% refabricated their children's appliances.In general, 47.8%, 38.2%, and 14% of the participants showed a moderate, high, and low awareness of functional orthodontic appliances. Education (p=0.005) and employment status (p=0.008) were significantly associated with the awareness of functional orthodontic appliances. The knowledge of need for refabrication of broken orthodontic appliances differed significantly across the age of the parents (p=0.008), while a significant majority of the parents agreed that an orthodontic appliance is used as a habit breaker (p=0.009). The parents' knowledge of the causes of malocclusion differed based on employment status (p=0.011) and the number of children (p=0.050).

Conclusion: Parents of children undergoing orthodontic treatment were moderately aware of malocclusion and functional orthodontic treatment. Parents exhibited a lack of awareness of the refabrication of functional appliances. The study's findings indicate the need to enhance parents' knowledge of malocclusion and orthodontic functional appliances for their children.