Effect of separate malocclusion traits on concern for dental appearance.

Effects of separate traits of malocclusion on concern for dental appearance were isolated by means of multiple regression analysis in a 15-yr follow-up study of 30-yr-old Danes. On the basis of questionnaires (response rate 86%, n = 841), the dependent "concern-for-dental-appearance" variable was constructed from the respondents' replies about recalled perceptions and societal reactions concerning their dental appearance at the time of adolescence. In the same individuals, separate traits of malocclusion had been recorded clinically 15 yr earlier. These traits were inserted as independent dummy variables into the regression model. In both sexes the closest relationship with the dependent variable was displayed by the most conspicuous traits in the anterior region of the dentition. Some traits showed significant associations only in women, whose regression coefficients were, in general, higher than those of men. About half of the variation in the dependent variable was explained by the model.