Body image, self-concept, and the orthodontic patient.

Four major criterion groups--orthodontic retention patients, prospective orthodontic patients, a population sample, and mothers of prospective patients--were established. Appropriate relationships between groups and subgroups were studied with regard to body-image and self-concept satisfaction, to body-image and self-concept importance, and other factors. The findings include the following: 1. There was no significant difference in body-image and self-concept satisfaction of importance between prospective orthodontic patients and the population sample. 2. There was no significant difference in body-image and self-concept satisfaction or importance between prospective orthodontic patients and orthodontic patients in retention. 3. There was a significant difference between prospective orthodontic patients' self-concept importance and their mother's perception of self-concept importance. There teen-agers placed more emphasis on their self-concept than did their mothers. 4. There was no significant difference between any of the groups in body-image and self-concept satisfaction or importance with change in age (11 to 16 years). 5. Girls scored significantly lower in both body-image and self-concept satisfaction than did the boys at these ages (11 to 16 years). 6. Patients with Class III malocclusion scored significantly lower than the other malocclusion groups in all categories of body-image and self-concept satisfaction and importance.