Psychological timing of orthodontic treatment.

A questionnaire type of study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that prepubescent patients are more cooperative than adolescents. Older children were held to be psychologically resistant to the demands of orthodontic treatment because of their involvement in Oedipal conflicts, a normal but distracting aspect of "growing up". Our observers found that patients under 12 were more cooperative than other age groups in the wearing of headgear and other removable devices. They were less cooperative in keeping appointments or in protecting appliances from breakage. The differences were significant at the 5 per cent level of confidence. If responders' observations are an accurate index of true performance, the study suggests that, from a psychological standpoint, activator and headgear treatment should be begun sometime after age 6 and soon enough to be completed before the onset of puberty.