Parents' awareness of malocclusion and the appropriate timing to seek orthodontic consultation for their children has a substantial impact on children's orthodontic treatment. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate parents' awareness of malocclusion and orthodontic consultation of their children and the influence of parents' demographics on their awareness level. An electronic survey collected information about participants' demographics and awareness about malocclusion and orthodontic consultation of children. A total of 473 parents living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, participated in the study. The average awareness level among parents was moderate (3.09 ± 1.4). Male gender and unemployment were associated with low orthodontic awareness levels relative to moderate awareness (OR = 3.3, 95% CI = 1.8-5.8 and OR = 2.1, 95% CI = 1.1-3.8, respectively). Former or current orthodontic treatment was associated with high awareness levels (OR = 3.9, 95% CI = 2.4-6.5). There is still a need to raise the awareness of Saudi parents about malocclusion and orthodontic consultations for their children. Orthodontic awareness-raising campaigns should be designed to include fathers and parents with low socioeconomic status. The findings of this study also suggest that orthodontists can enhance their patient's awareness of malocclusion and orthodontic consultation for their children.
Keywords: awareness; early diagnosis; orthodontics; parents; preventive orthodontics.