The objective of this paper is to determine whether an association existed between parents' attitudes to orthodontic issues affecting themselves and their attitudes to possible orthodontic treatment for their child. It consisted of an analytical survey using a self-administered questionnaire, taken in South East England of six-hundred parents of children aged 9 years. The questionnaires were delivered to the parent with the help of their child's school. Four-hundred-and-thirty-seven questionnaires were returned (73 per cent). Significant associations were found between desire by the parents for orthodontic treatment for themselves and perception of need in their child, parental satisfaction with own dental appearance and perception of need in their child, a parental history of orthodontic treatment and a determination to insist on their child's co-operation with orthodontic treatment. Logistic regression models show the odds of parents who desire orthodontic treatment themselves, perceiving need in their children are three times greater than for other parents. 1. There is some evidence that parents who desire orthodontic treatment for themselves, or who are former orthodontic patients are more likely to approve of orthodontic care in principle and to perceive a need for it in their child. 2. Further research is required to establish to what extent genetic factors are involved.