A Study on the Significance of Orthodontic Treatment among Bangladeshi School Children

Abstract

Introduction: The treatment of malocclusion places a considerable burden on health care resources globally, particularly when funded by public means. In an attempt to prioritize the treatment of malocclusion, various occlusal indices have been developed based on the severity of malocclusion and/or the conceivable destruction it may cause to oral health if left untreated. However, it has been recognized that perhaps people seek and undergo orthodontic treatment not because of anatomic irregularities, but because of the consequences of the esthetic impairment caused by a malocclusion. Thus, malocclusion and orthodontic care have become a quality-of-life issue. This study aimed to assess the significance of orthodontic treatment according to an index (Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need) among Bangladeshi school children in the late mixed dentition stage. Methods: This Cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted at the Ideal School, Banasree Project, Rampura, Dhaka, and Faizur Rahman Ideal School, Banasree, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The study was conducted from 25th September 2010 to 25th January 2011. A total of 126 school children were included in this study. Result: Among 126 school children, 39.68% belonged to the age of 10, 24.61% were the age of 11, and the rest 35.71% belonged to the age of 12. The study showed male predominance, having 75 (59.52%) males and 51 (40.48%) females. Among the study population, 19% of the children came from a family whose monthly income was 20000tk, while 13.50% and 11.90% of the children belonged to families whose income were 18000tk and 15000tk respectively and the rest of the families whose parent’s monthly income was less than 15000tk. About 50% of school students were diagnosed as Grade 1, 22.2% were in Grade 2, 24.6% were in Grade 3, 1.6% was in Grade 4 and 1.6% were in Grade 5. 28 respondents of age 10 years; 10 respondents of age 11 years; 25 respondents of age 12 years needed no treatment. 11 respondents of age 10 years; ......