The role of psycho-social factors in headgear compliance.

The aim of this study was to identify the role of psycho-social factors in headgear compliance. Fifty-one patients, with an Angle Class II division 1 malocclusion comprised the study sample. The treatment plan aimed to correct the malocclusion using cervical pull headgear. An electronic module timer was attached to the neckstrap to evaluate the number of hours the patients wore the headgear. One of their parents was asked to answer the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), which defines a patient's behaviour. The patients were monitored for 6 months and the modules were measured at the end of each 2 month period. Mann-Whitney U and Chi square tests were used to analyse the data. The patients were separated into groups according to their compliance. The results showed that although there were significant differences in the use of headgear between the groups (P < or = 0.001), age, gender, and CBCL subgroup scores were not statistically significant (P > 0.05).