The prevalence of malocclusion among 10–12-year-old schoolchildren in Khammam district, Telangana: An epidemiological study

Abstract

Aim: The study aimed to determine the prevalence of malocclusion among 10–12-year-old school-going children in Khammam district of Telangana state. Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 2550 schoolchildren aged 10–12 years old in the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry, Mamata Dental College and Hospital, Khammam, Telangana, India, to assess the prevalence of malocclusion. An oral examination was conducted by a single trained examiner using a mouth mirror and probe. Occlusal characteristics such as molar relation, overjet, overbite, open bite, crossbite, midline deviations, midline diastema, and rotation were recorded. The data were tabulated and analyzed using the Chi-square test. Results: The results revealed that the overall prevalence of malocclusion was 76.6%. Of this, 65.9% of the children had Angle's Class I malocclusion, 9.25% had Class II malocclusion, and 1.37% had Class III malocclusion. About 15.4% showed an increased overjet (>3 mm), 0.2% had reverse overjet, 43.6% had increased overbite (>3 mm), 2% had open bite, 14.01% had crossbite, 46.23% had deviation of midline, 2.07% had midline diastema, and 2.98% had rotated tooth. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of malocclusion among schoolchildren in Khammam district of Telangana. Problems of a functional nature that arise from these morphological changes may become more complex skeletal problems in future with serious psychosocial consequences for the developing individual.