Abstract
Objective. To evaluate the prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs among 12- to 15-year-old schoolchildren in eastern Nepal and compare the findings with those of other populations. Methods. Two thousand seventy-four children (1149 males and 925 females) aged between 12 and 15 years were evaluated. Their orthodontic treatment need was assessed using the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Needs (IOTN) (dental health component (DHC)). Angle's classes of malocclusion were also evaluated. Results. The prevalence of classes I, II, and III was 48.50%, 32.68%, and 4.32%, respectively. The IOTN showed that 21.59% had an extreme treatment need, 24.67% had severe treatment need, 24.07% had moderate treatment need, 14.7% had mild treatment need, and 15.02% had no treatment need. Conclusion. Class I malocclusion is the most common, while class III is the least prevalent in eastern Nepal. The majority of the children need orthodontic treatment.
Highlights
Epidemiology of malocclusion and assessment of orthodontic treatment needs are of national importance in many countries and were included in numerous national level surveys [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16]
The present study aims to assess the epidemiology of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs in Nepalese schoolchildren aged 12–15 years in Eastern Nepal using Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) index and compare these data with that of other population
The examination for malocclusion was made according to the molar relationship (Angle) and the criteria laid down by dental health component (DHC) of IOTN
Summary
Epidemiology of malocclusion and assessment of orthodontic treatment needs are of national importance in many countries and were included in numerous national level surveys [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16]. According to World Health Organization the main oral diseases should be subjected to periodic epidemiologic surveys. These assessments are necessary to plan sufficient treatment facilities and develop adequate training programs for respective specialists [17]. The Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) was developed to grade malocclusion on the basis of the significance of various occlusal traits for dental health and esthetic impairment [23]. Prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs for Nepalese children had not yet been reported in the indexed literature. The present study aims to assess the epidemiology of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs in Nepalese schoolchildren aged 12–15 years in Eastern Nepal using IOTN index and compare these data with that of other population
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