Parents' awareness towards preventive and interceptive orthodontic treatment.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to assess the awareness and acceptance of preventive and interceptive orthodontic treatment among Saudi perents. METHODS: The study used a 29-question questionnaire, covering parents' demographic data, parents' awareness of malocclusion and habits, and parents' acceptance of treatment. It included visuals of different malocclusions, normal occlusion, and specific habits. RESULTS: Parents mostly recognized single anterior tooth crossbite (95.78%) as a problem that need early intervention, followed by skeletal Class II (94.16%) and severe lower incisor crowding (93.51%). Regarding oral habits, parents were most aware of thumb sucking (91.03%), followed by tongue thrusting (84.22%). Ninety seven percent of participating parents expressed high acceptance of early orthodontic intervention, mostly to avoid more complicated treatment or surgery. However, a few parents refused early treatment, mainly because they preferred to wait until the eruption of all permanent teeth. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of parents demonstrated a high level of awareness and willingness to pursue early treatment.