Teenage Dental Alignment, Self-Esteem, Parental Stress and Performance in Schools in Kenya: A Case of Dentplan Dental Surgeons in Kenya

The adolescent period is marked by significant physical and psychological transformations, during which dental appearance can play a pivotal role in shaping self-perception and social interactions. This issue extends beyond the individual to affect the family unit, where parental concern for their child’s wellbeing and the financial implications of orthodontic treatments contribute to heightened stress levels. This, in turn, can disrupt the supportive environment crucial for a teenager’s educational journey. By employing a descriptive research design, this study aimed to conduct an analysis of the current state of teenage dental alignment issues in Kenya, exploring their correlation with self-esteem levels and the subsequent effects on parental stress and academic performance. This study was anchored on Social comparison theory. The target population for the study comprised learners with dental misalignment, their parents or guardians and dental surgeons at Dentplan Dental surgeons in Kenya. The study purposively selected 20 learners with dental misalignment and 3 surgeons to take part in the study. The study used both structured questionnaire and Key Informant Interview (KII) for purposes of collecting primary data. The questionnaires was administered to the learners or their parents, while KII was administered to the surgeons. The quantitative data collected using the questionnaire was analyzed with the aid of SPSS using both descriptive and inferential statistics. The qualitative data gathered using KII was analyzed thematically using content analysis. The findings were presented in tables and narratives. The findings revealed that dental alignment significantly affects self-esteem and school performance among teenagers treated at Dentplan Dental Surgeons in Kenya, with an R squared value of 0.566, indicating that dental alignment explains 56.6% of the variation in these outcomes. The regression coefficients results revealed a significant positive effect of dental alignment on self-esteem and school performance, with a coefficient (B = 0.653, p-value = 0.000).The study concludes that dental alignment significantly affects self-esteem and school performance among teenagers treated at Dentplan Dental Surgeons in Kenya. In view of the findings, the study recommends that dental practitioners should prioritize comprehensive and individualized treatment plans that address both the physical and psychological impacts of dental alignment issues and they should partner with schools for dental check-ups and education early in learners life.