{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,27]],"date-time":"2026-10-27T22:05:21Z","timestamp":1793138721447,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,18]],"date-time":"2024-06-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1718668800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Clinics and Practice"],"abstract":"<jats:p>(1) Background: Parents\u2019 awareness of malocclusion and their attitude towards early evaluation and interventions influence children\u2019s orthodontic management. This cross-sectional study investigates factors that affect the perceived orthodontic needs and the attitude towards interceptive orthodontics among a sample of one-thousand eight-hundred and six (1806) parents of children aged between 6 and 11 years. (2) Methods: The investigation was carried out thought a 18-items online questionnaire divided as follows: characteristics of respondents; perceived child\u2019s orthodontic needs; attitude toward early orthodontic evaluation and interventions. The associations between responses were assessed with a Chi-square test. (3) Results: Two-thirds of the respondents referred to having consulted an orthodontist for their child, and more than half of them initiated the required orthodontic treatment. In 44% of cases, the orthodontic consultation occurred after the age of 7 years. Parents\u2019 higher education and history of orthodontic treatment were associated with a greater awareness of orthodontic needs. Parents\u2019 perception of the impact of teeth on their child\u2019s personality was significantly associated with the decision to start the orthodontic treatment (p &lt; 0.001). (4) Conclusions: Although the parents\u2019 level of awareness of their child\u2019s orthodontic needs was generally satisfactory, the results of the present study pointed out the need for a better education regarding the importance of an early orthodontic assessment.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/clinpract14030092","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,21]],"date-time":"2024-06-21T12:27:33Z","timestamp":1718972853000},"page":"1159-1170","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["Perceived Orthodontic Needs and Attitudes towards Early Evaluation and Interventions: A Survey-Based Study among Parents of Italian School-Aged Children"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"14","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5458-6559","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Federica","family":"Di Spirito","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry \u201cScuola Medica Salernitana\u201d, University of Salerno, Via Allende, 84081 Baronissi, SA, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3578-017X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Davide","family":"Cannat\u00e0","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry \u201cScuola Medica Salernitana\u201d, University of Salerno, Via Allende, 84081 Baronissi, SA, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Valentina","family":"Schettino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry \u201cScuola Medica Salernitana\u201d, University of Salerno, Via Allende, 84081 Baronissi, SA, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3744-891X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marzio","family":"Galdi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry \u201cScuola Medica Salernitana\u201d, University of Salerno, Via Allende, 84081 Baronissi, SA, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2588-2949","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rosaria","family":"Bucci","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurosciences, Reproductive Sciences and Oral Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, NA, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3877-1671","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Stefano","family":"Martina","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry \u201cScuola Medica Salernitana\u201d, University of Salerno, Via Allende, 84081 Baronissi, SA, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,6,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"115","article-title":"Worldwide Prevalence of Malocclusion in the Different Stages of Dentition: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis","volume":"21","author":"Lombardo","year":"2020","journal-title":"Eur. 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