Evaluation of the orthodontic treatment need in a paediatric sample from Southern Italy and its importance among paediatricians for improving oral health in pediatric dentistry.

V Luzzi,G Di Giorgio,A Polimeni,G Di Carlo,I Vozza,D Corridore,G Ierardo,E Leonardi,Gg Campus

doi:10.4317/jced.54005

Abstract

BackgroundData from epidemiological studies investigating the prevalence and severity of malocclusions in children are of great relevance to public health programs aimed at orthodontic prevention. Previous epidemiological studies focused mainly on the adolescence age group and reported a prevalence of malocclusion with a high variability, going from 32% to 93%. Aim of our study was to assess the need for orthodontic treatment in a paediatric sample from Southern Italy in order to improve awareness among paediatricians about oral health preventive strategies in pediatric dentistry.Material and MethodsThe study used the IOTN-DHC index to evaluate the need for orthodontic treatment for several malocclusions (overjet, reverse overjet, overbite, openbite, crossbite) in a sample of 579 children in the 2-9 years age range.ResultsThe most frequently altered occlusal parameter was the overbite (prevalence: 24.5%), while the occlusal anomaly that most frequently presented a need for orthodontic treatment was the crossbite (8.8%). The overall prevalence of need for orthodontic treatment was of 19.3%, while 49% of the sample showed one or more altered occlusal parameters. No statistically significant difference was found between males and females.ConclusionsResults from this study support the idea that the establishment of a malocclusion is a gradual process starting at an early age. Effective orthodontic prevention programs should therefore include preschool children being aware paediatricians of the importance of early first dental visit. Key words:Orthodontic treatment, malocclusion, oral health, pediatric dentistry.

Highlights

Data from epidemiological studies investigating the prevalence and severity of malocclusions in children are of great relevance to the implementation of public health programs aimed at orthodontic prevention
Aim of our study was to assess the need for orthodontic treatment in a paediatric sample from a well-defined geographical area of Southern Italy, namely the Caserta province in order to improve awareness among paediatricians about oral health preventive strategies in pediatric dentistry .While most studies in the literature focused on the adolescent age range [14,15], our study focused on the 2-9 years age group, this in order to evaluate the prevalence of malocclusions and need for treatment at an earlier age and to intercept as early as possible in childhood the clinical evolution of the malocclusion and implement proper treatment protocols to prevent its aggravation
For each malocclusion and for the overall need for orthodontic treatment we evaluated the distribution of IOTN-DHC grade both in the full sample and in the males and females sub-samples

Summary

Introduction

Data from epidemiological studies investigating the prevalence and severity of malocclusions in children are of great relevance to the implementation of public health programs aimed at orthodontic prevention. Epidemiological studies on the prevalence of malocclusions and on the need of orthodontic treatment [10] conducted in several countries reported a prevalence of malocclusion with a high variability, going from 32% to 93% [11,12,13,14] This inhomogeneity can be attributed to several factors: the use of different indexes, including IOTN and TPI (with several modifications), the different age, social status, and ethnic group of the samples studied, and the data collection techniques. Effective orthodontic prevention programs should include preschool children being aware paediatricians of the importance of early first dental visit

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