Orthodontic treatment: A facet theory approach to the study of personal reasons for the uptake of treatment for malocclusion

Described within this paper is an approach to the assessment and understanding of the reasons an individual orthodontic consumer possesses for undergoing intervention for malocclusion. The facet theory approach is reviewed as it applies to dental well being and a mapping sentence is proposed as a template which may be employed in investigating treatment motives. Caveats are issued regarding assumptions of simple causal linkages between malocclusion and dental/orthodontic state.