DENTAL DISORDERS IMPACT AND INFLUENCE ON SELF-ESTEEM LEVELS AMONG TEENAGERS

Dr. Amit Kumar Khajuria*

ABSTRACT

Aim: This study aims to assess the impact of dental disorders among the teenagers on their self-esteem level. Materials and Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted among 12 to 18 years teenagers. Multistage sampling technique was used to obtain a representative sample. WHO type III examination was used for the oral health assessment and self-esteem was estimated using the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale score (RSES). The descriptive and inferential analysis of the data was done by using IBM SPSS software. Logistic and linear regression analysis was executed to test the individual association of different independent clinical variables with self-esteem. Results: In the present study, mean age and RSES scores were 14.21 ±2.12 and 26.09 ±3.39 respectively. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was applied and best predictors in relation to RSES in the descending order were Dental Health Component (DHC) and Aesthetic Component (AC) respectively. Conclusion: It was found that various dental causes a profound impact on aesthetics and psychosocial behaviour of adolescents, thus affecting their self-esteem.

Keywords: Dental caries, Malocclusion, Tooth loss.