Relationship between dentofacial deformities and self-assessment and self-concept of students of Universities in Isfahan

Introduction: People’s facial appearance can play an important role in their social success. On the other hand, facial appearance-related problems have an important effect on an individual’s quality of life. The aim of this research was to determine the relationship between dentofacial malformations and self-esteem and self-concept among male and female students of Isfahan Universities. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional research, 159 students, 18-25 years of age, were randomly selected from Isfahan Universities. The subjects consisted of 84 male and 75 female students, selected using easy sampling method. The subjects filled two Rosenberg self-esteem and Rogers self-concept questionnaires (A: the real self; B: the ideal self) and were examined in relation to dentofacial deformities. Data was recorded in two groups of dentofacial deformity and free of dentofacial deformity. T-test, ANOVA and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used for data analysis (α = 0.05). Results: The results did not show any relationship between self-esteem (p value = 0.342), self-concept A (p value = 0.581) and self-concept B (p value = 0.720) in the two groups. There was no relationship between deformity type and self-esteem (p value = 0.71), self-concept A (p value = 0.49) and self-concept B (p value = 0.337). In addition, there was no relationship between sex and self-esteem (p value = 0.237), self-concept A (p value = 0.416) and self-concept B (p value = 0.081). However, there was a direct relationship between self-esteem and self-concept A (r = -0.31). Conclusion: Under the limitations of this research, there was no relationship between dentofacial deformities and self-esteem and self-concept.   Key words: Malocclusion, Phsycology, Self-assessment, Self-concept