Occlusal characteristics and orthodontic treatment need in black adolescents in Salvador/BA (Brazil): an epidemiologic study using the Dental Aesthetics Index

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this article is to evaluate the need of orthodontic treatment, prevalence and severity of the malocclusions in individuals of black ethnicity in a representative sample of schoolchildren of the city of Salvador/Brazil, as well as to verify if the malocclusion was affected by socio-demographic conditions such as age and gender. METHODS: The reference population was constituted of schoolchildren with age between 12 and 15 years, enrolled in public and private schools. The malocclusion was evaluated in 486 students of black ethnicity, with ages varying from 12 to 15 years, selected in random sample in multiple stages. The adopted significance level was 1% and the power of the test was 90%. A questionnaire registering demographic characteristics was filled out by each individual. The Dental Aesthetics Index (DAI) was used by previously calibrated examiners (kappa 0.89), according to criteria of the World Health Organization. RESULTS: It was verified that most of the individuals (76%) had little or any need for orthodontic treatment. About 24% showed a condition of severe malocclusion, culminating in a vital need for orthodontic treatment. The main occlusal characteristics found in the group with high need of orthodontic treatment were dental crowding and accentuated overjet. The age was positively related to the improvement of the maxillary overjet and to the presence of crowding. CONCLUSION: The development of public politics that aim the insertion of orthodontic treatment among the procedures of health programs, with the implementation and development of specialized centers, is fundamental.

Occlusal Characteristics of Children with Class I Malocclusion in Northeastern Brazil

“…In the current sample, the most frequent malocclusion was crowding, which was found in 34.4% of the cases and is within the range reported by other studies -18.05% to 87% [18][19][20][21] . This prevalence was already expected because, according to Peres 9 , such malocclusion is most often associated with Class I molar relationship.…”

Orthodontic treatment need among young Saudis attending public versus private dental practices in Riyadh

“…The main occlusal traits found in patients who had a great need for orthodontic treatment were open bite, increased overjet, and overbite. Comparable findings were reported among Brazilian patients with great need for orthodontic treatment 41. Further, it was reported that the most common occlusal traits among Saudi children requiring orthodontic treatment were tooth displacement, increased overjet, and deep bite 28.…”

Self-perceived need for dental treatment and related factors. A cross-sectional population-based study

“…Studies performed in the United Kingdom, 23 Nigeria, 24 and Croatia 25 have shown low levels of self-perceived need for orthodontic treatment (6%, 17.5%, and 24,2%, respectively), suggesting the existences of differences related to ethnic and cultural factors. 9 Conceptions of beauty vary widely among cultures, with a beautiful body associated with intelligence and high income in Western societies; this factor explains why Brazilians, especially adolescents, pay so much attention to cosmetic factors. 26 We have found a correlation between normative and self-perceived needs for orthodontic treatment.…”

“…Orthodontists appear to be in consensus that parameters constituting morphological normality can vary among ethnic groups or populations from different geographic regions. 9 Together with these ethnic aspects, socioeconomic factors must be considered in the examination of occlusion; this aspect of orthodontics should be studied within a social context, given the importance not only of the physical consequences of poor development, but also its negative impact on social well-being. 5,10 With the development of more comfortable and esthetic orthodontic devices, improved treatment, and more widespread access to information, patients' perceptions about whether their occlusion is cosmetically acceptable have changed.…”