Abstract:
Background: There are increased demands on orthodontic treatment among adult females. Orthodontic treatment for this group of patients might be complicated by underlying psychological issues. There is a need to understand the psychological profile of Sudanese female adults seeking orthodontic treatment in order to improve patient satisfaction and treatment outcome. This study aimed at psychological assessment of adult females seeking orthodontic treatment. Method: This was a descriptive case series study. One hundred six adult females seeking orthodontic treatment were included in this study from two orthodontics clinics. Three validated questionnaires were used to measure self-esteem score, identify prevalence of depression and anxiety and asses Body Dysmorphic Disorder. The Rosenberg Self Esteem Index was designed to measure the self-esteem. This scale has been used many times with proven reliability and validity for the general population and orthodontic patients. It is a scale with items answered on a four point scale ranging from strongly agrees to strongly disagree. The questionnaire composed of 10 questions; 5 are positive, and 5 are negative. For each negative statement, the answer counted from 1 to 4, while for positive statements the answers counted from 4 to 1, the higher score the higher self-esteem, and added to the total score.(10-40) Results: Self-esteem score was low (30.15) compared to scores identified from 2 previous studies. The prevalence of depression and anxiety were high 8.9% and 28.0% respectively. Body Dysmorphic Disorder was reported (BDD) in 14.2% of the sample. Conclusions: There were high levels of depression and anxiety as well as high prevalence of BDD. These findings should be taken into consideration when planning orthodontic treatment among such group of subjects.
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