Orthodontic Status and Orthodontic Treatment Need of 12- and 15-Year-Old Greek Adolescents: A National Pathfinder Survey.

Ioulia-Maria Mylonopoulou,Constantine J Oulis,Konstantinos Arapostathis,Katerina Kavvadia,Elias Berdouses,Iosif Sifakakis

doi:10.3390/ijerph182211790

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to assess the orthodontic status and orthodontic treatment needs of 12- and 15-year-old schoolchildren in Greece, in relation to sociodemographic factors and parental education level. A total of 1102 12-year-old children and 1131 15-year-old adolescents across Greece were assessed using the Modified Dental Health component (DHC) of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN). An amount of 38.7% of 12-year-olds and 33.7% of 15-year-olds were in definite need of orthodontic treatment. The most common etiologic factors were tooth eruption and position anomalies. A higher rate of orthodontic treatment need was recorded among subjects with lower parental education level. Class I malocclusion was found in 50.9%, Class II in 38.4% and Class III in 10.8% of the total sample. A higher incidence of dental trauma was found in the 12-year-olds presenting with a Class II molar relationship and >3 mm overjet. The need for orthodontic treatment in Greece was higher, in comparison to other European countries, with one out of two children presenting a severe overjet associated with a high incidence of dental trauma. One out of three adolescents were still judged as having a need for orthodontic treatment by the age of 15.

Highlights

Malocclusion is defined as an irregularity of the teeth or a mal-relationship of the dental arches
The aim of this study is to present the orthodontic part of this survey, and to report on the prevalence of specific malocclusion signs and the orthodontic treatment needs of 12- and 15-year-old (y.o.) school children in relation to demographic factors
A stratified cluster sample was randomly selected from schools across Greece according to World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for national pathfinder surveys [7]

Summary

Introduction

Malocclusion is defined as an irregularity of the teeth or a mal-relationship of the dental arches. It is not a life-threatening problem or disease, but it is considered a serious public health problem with the third-highest prevalence among oral pathologies after tooth decay and periodontal disease, and ranking third among world-wide public oral health priorities [1]. A number of studies have demonstrated that malocclusion has a serious impact on the quality-of-life of individuals [3,4]. Epidemiological studies conducted in the field of dentistry worldwide demonstrate the extent and severity of oral diseases as well as the therapeutic needs of the population.

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Methods

Discussion

Conclusion