Abstract
BackgroundThe aim of present study was to determine the prevalence of malocclusions, oral habits and the need for orthodontic treatment in a sample of 7- to 15-year-old Albanese schoolchildren.MethodsThe final sample comprised 2,617 subjects (1,257 males and 1,360 females), all orthodontically untreated. Occlusal relationship and the functional analysis were recorded for all subjects. The prevalence rates for the dental health component of the index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN) were calculated. Comparisons between genders were performed for the prevalence of malocclusions, oral habits and IOTN grades (chi-square tests).ResultsClass I, class II and class III malocclusions and asymmetries were observed in 40.4%, 29.2%, 3.2% and 27.1% of the sample, respectively. There were 2,108 subjects (80.6%) that showed oral habits, with females (82.1%) presenting with a greater prevalence rate than males (78.9%). The objective need for orthodontic treatment (grades 4 and 5 of IOTN) was registered in 1,077 subjects (41.2%). This prevalence rate is higher than those reported for other European countries. No significant differences between genders were found for the IOTN grades.ConclusionsThe findings of the present study revealed the need to improve public health plans for orthodontic prevention and screening and to organise the resources in this area in Albania.
Highlights
The aim of present study was to determine the prevalence of malocclusions, oral habits and the need for orthodontic treatment in a sample of 7- to 15-year-old Albanese schoolchildren
Findings indicated that the subjects presenting with class I malocclusion were 1,058 (40.4% of the total sample), the subjects showing class II malocclusion were 764 (29.2%) and the subjects having class III malocclusion were 85 (3.2%); asymmetries were present in 710 subjects (27.1%)
The findings suggest that the most frequent oral habit was pacifier habit, which was observed in 785 subjects (30.0% of the total sample), followed by oral breathing that was recorded in 23.2% of the schoolchildren and by atypical swallowing that was found in 16.2% of the subjects
Summary
The aim of present study was to determine the prevalence of malocclusions, oral habits and the need for orthodontic treatment in a sample of 7- to 15-year-old Albanese schoolchildren. Epidemiological studies are essential in order to achieve extensive data on the prevalence of malocclusions and of the social need for orthodontic therapy. This information can be used in every country to create public health plans for orthodontic prevention and screening and to organise the resources in this area [1,2]. Whereas northern and central European populations have been the object of a great number of surveys [9,10,11,12,13,14], there are very few investigations that evaluated the prevalence of malocclusions and orthodontic treatment need in southern European ethnic groups [2,15]. For every country, it is very important to identify the prevalence of malocclusions and indications for orthodontic treatment in order to improve public oral health [1]
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