Assessment of Malocclusion and Orthodontic Treatment Needs among 13- to 15-year-old School-going Children

In India, children form about 38 to 40% of its 1,090 million total population, and 85% of them have high levels of dental disease.1 It is reported that about 35% of children suffer from maligned teeth and jaws affecting their proper functioning.2 Children who suffer from pain of dental origin are more likely to have more restrictedactivity days including missing school than those who do not. In worldwide Public Health Dental Disease Priorities, malocclusion features the third highest in prevalence.3 Malocclusion is not a disease but a disability.4 Frances C Macgregor 19695 stated that “a disfiguring malocclusion is a physical handicap since it limits a person’s social stereotype and opportunities.” Malocclusion may elicit unpleasant social reactions and a poor self-concept. If the malocclusion is not diagnosed at an early stage and appropriate preventive and corrective measures are not implemented in time, it might progress to severe form of malocclusion, which might end up in more time-consuming, expensive, and complicated orthodontic treatment. 1,5,7Senior Lecturer, 2Reader, 3Postgraduate Student, 4Dental Surgeon, 6Consultant, 8Registrar 1Department of Public Health Dentistry, Maharaja Ganga Singh Dental College and Research Centre, Sri Ganganagar Rajasthan, India