Self-evaluation of Aesthetic Dentition Using Aesthetic Component

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the Aesthetic Component (AC) scale, a method for the aesthetic evaluation of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN), could be used successfully for self evaluating the need of orthodontic treatment in Japanese patients. The subjects were 173 of 177 students, with a mean age of 21.3 years, who had received no previous orthodontic treatment. The AC scale was used to self-evaluate malocclusions. For epidemiological evaluations performed by dentists, AC, the Dental Health Component, which provides functional evaluations of IOTN and Dental Aesthetic Index were used. The following results were obtained: 1. For epidemiological evaluation, 19.1% of the subjects were determined to need orthodontic treatment by AC, 45.1% by DHC, and 41.6% by DAI, while 32.9% were rated necessary by both DHC and DAI. 2. Self-evaluation using the AC scale found that 2.3% needed treatment. On the basis of the above findings, it was considered that further evaluation of orthodontic treatment is necessary, because epidemiological evaluations using AC, DHC and DAI were markedly different from self-evaluation using AC.