A new Norwegian index of orthodontic treatment need related to orthodontic concern among 11‐year‐olds and their parents

Abstract

A new index of orthodontic treatment need was introduced in Norway in 1990. On a morphologic and functional basis the four groups very great (A), great (B), obvious (C) and little/no (D) need were defined for social insurance refunding. The purpose of the present study was to investigate to what extent the new index corresponded with orthodontic concern among potential orthodontic patients and their parents. Of 104 randomly selected fourth grade children, 99 (48 girls, 51 boys, mean age 10.7 yr) presented themselves for clinical examination and interview. One parent was asked to accompany the child, and 93 parents attended. On the basis of clinical examination, morphologic measurements on study casts, and X-rays, the children were allocated to one of the four groups defined by the index. In separate questionnaires the children and the parents were asked to assess satisfaction with own/child's dental arrangement and desire for orthodontic treatment. The interview data were transformed into a composite measure representing orthodontic concern. The results indicated that orthodontic concern was significantly related to index group. For the individuals who expressed concern the new index seemed to be meaningful for allocation of public subsidies, as most individuals (85%) who expressed concern exhibited malocclusions fulfilling the criteria for receiving public subsidies of treatment costs. However, more than 50% of the individuals allocated to group B (great need) did not experience a need for treatment.

Orthodontic Treatment Need in Adolescent Kuwaitis: Prevalence, Severity and Manpower Requirements

“…The orthodontic profession has established several indices for objective assessment of treatment need [5][6][7][8] . Some allocate weighting factors to occlusal traits to arrive at an overall figure representing a score of severity and, by inference, treatment priority [5] .…”

The need for orthodontic treatment among 10–11- and 14–15-year-old Lithuanian schoolchildren

“…Occlusal indices have been used to measure the need for orthodontic treatment from a normative or orthodontist specialist's viewpoint. Majority of these indices (Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need, IOTN; Peer Assessment Rating, PAR; Dental Aesthetic Index, DAI; Norwegian Orthodontic Treatment Index, NOTI) are developed and used for different national health care systems, and very few have gained international recognition (6,7). The Index of Complexity, Outcome, and Need (ICON) was derived by 97 orthodontists from eight European countries and the United States.…”

Editorial: Status of orthodontic services in Kenya

“…It has been argued that where there is limited orthodontic manpower, the demand for treatment may be met by a supervised general practitioner-based service which could then produce treatment for a higher population (6). On the other hand, studies have shown that where orthodontic treatment is mainly done by general dental practitioners and performed with removable appliances, the outcome is often of a suboptimal standard (7,8).…”

“…In order to provide advice on orthodontic treatment on the basis of scientific knowledge, information about societal norms (the range of deviations in occlusion accepted by society) is necessary (6,11).This is because degrees of acceptance of own occlusal disfigurement may be influenced by the sociolcultural norms (11). No information on normative standards for dentofacial aesthetics has been documented for Kenyans so far, and many patients are treated with the goal of achieving European and American aesthetic standards.…”