Table 2.

Comparison of factors that influenced the decision to begin orthodontic treatment between adults and children’s parents

Question	Answers (Can choose more than one answer)	Total (n=417) n (%)	Adults (n=331) n (%)	Children’s Parents (n=86) n (%)	P †
Who brought to your attention that (you/your child) need orthodontic treatment	Myself/my child	296 (71.0)	260 (78.5)	36 (41.9)	<0.001*
	Family or friends	193 (46.3)	150 (45.3)	43 (50.0)	0.438
	General/pediatric dentist	84 (20.1)	58 (17.5)	26 (30.2)	0.009*
What were the main reasons that made (you/your child) start orthodontic treatment	To enhance esthetic appearance	269 (64.5)	194 (58.6)	75 (87.2)	<0.001*
	Functional Concerns (breathing, eating, or pronunciation)	53 (12.7)	40 (12.1)	13 (15.1)	0.452
	Media (celebrities, advertisement/social media)	12 (2.9)	12 (3.6)	0	0.138
	Others (growth, peers, genetics)	54 (12.9)	11 (3.3)	43 (50.0)	<0.001*
What were the esthetic problems that led (you/your child) to start orthodontic treatment	To enhance the look of my face	125 (30.0)	86 (26.0)	39 (45.3)	<0.001*
	Crowding	121 (29.0)	92 (27.8)	29 (33.7)	0.281
	To get the perfect smile	106 (25.4)	83 (25.1)	23 (26.7)	0.752
	Spacing	102 (24.5)	83 (25.1)	19 (22.1)	0.566
	Teeth inclination	96 (23.0)	70 (21.1)	26 (30.2)	0.075
	Smile shift	47 (11.3)	37 (11.2)	10 (11.6)	0.906
	Rotated teeth	24 (5.8)	23 (6.9)	1 (1.2)	0.040*
	Others	25 (6.0)	19 (5.7)	6 (7.0)	0.667
What were the functional problems that led (you/your child) to start orthodontic treatment	Teeth malocclusion	99 (23.7)	63 (19.0)	36 (41.9)	<0.001*
	Upper jaw protruded and/or lower jaw retruded	86 (20.6)	65 (19.6)	21 (24.4)	0.329
	Lower jaw protruded and/or upper jaw retruded	22 (5.3)	15 (4.5)	7 (8.1)	0.182
	Temporomandibular joint	24 (5.8)	14 (4.2)	10 (11.6)	0.009*
	Pronunciation	24 (5.8)	14 (4.2)	10 (11.6)	0.009*
	Eating and chewing	19 (4.6)	14 (4.2)	5 (5.8)	0.530
	Breathing	12 (2.9)	9 (2.7)	3 (3.5)	0.704
	Others	1 (0.2)	1 (0.3)	0	1.00

^†Chi-square test *Statistically significant (P<0.05)