Orthodontic treatment need in a 12-year-old population in the Western Sahara

Abstract

The aim of this study was to establish orthodontic treatment need according to the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI) and Aesthetic Component (AC) and Dental Health Component (DHC) of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) and to determine its association with gender among Saharan schoolchildren. The study was carried out in accordance with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations for oral health surveys at 12 years of age. The sample comprised 248 Sahrawi children (135 girls and 113 boys) living in refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria. None of the children had previously received any orthodontic treatment. A chi-square test was used to analyse the IOTN results by gender, and a Student's t-test was employed for the DAI results. The mean DAI was 23.32 with a standard deviation of 6.05, 4 percent with a very severe and 9.2 per cent with severe malocclusion. Orthodontic treatment need was 16.1 and 2.0 percent, respectively, according to grades 4 and 5 of the IOTN DHC, 13.7 percent according to the IOTN AC, and 28.6 percent according to the modified IOTN (IOTN DHC grades 4-5 and/or IOTN AC grades 8-10). There were no statistically significant differences by gender. The orthodontic treatment need of Western Saharan schoolchildren is similar to that reported by many recent studies in European and in Sub-Saharan countries.

Index of orthodontic treatment need in children from the Nis region

“…In our study there are no gender differences in the distribution of the orthodontic treatment need. These results are in the line with the results of many studies 17,20,23 .…”

“…Significantly lower DHC IOTN value is found in Iran (18.4%) 22 and the Western Sahara (18.1%) 23 . According to AC IOTN our results 15.3% of the children with the great need for orthodontic treatment is similar to those obtained in the Western Sahara 23 19 . In our study there are no gender differences in the distribution of the orthodontic treatment need.…”

Cross-sectional study of malocclusion in Spanish children

“…In France, Souames et al found 21% in a sample of children aged 9 to 12 years (14). In Iran, Hedayati et al obtained similar results (18.4%) in a sample aged between 11 and 14 years, as did Puertes-Fernández et al in a sample of 12-year-old children in the Western Sahara (18.1%) (15,16). …”

The oral health of refugees and asylum seekers: a scoping review

“…The oral diseases covered in these studies included dental caries experience [ 3 – 5 , 28 – 30 , 32 – 34 , 36 , 41 – 43 , 48 ], periodontal disease [ 3 , 5 , 8 , 15 , 36 , 42 , 43 , 47 , 48 , 57 ], orthodontic treatment need [ 37 ], enamel fluorosis [ 28 ], oral lesions [ 51 ], and traumatic dental injuries [ 4 , 6 , 14 , 56 ]. Dental caries experience and periodontal status were frequently assessed in accordance with the World Health Organisation recommendations [ 58 ].…”