title: Need for orthodontic treatment among Tanzanian children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the need for orthodontic treatment among Tanzanian Bantu children.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective study using dental casts.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixteen randomly selected schools from the Ilala district, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
  
  
  METHODS
  Six hundred and forty three Tanzanian children from an urban district.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dental casts of 643 Tanzanian subjects in age groups 3-5, 6-8, 9-11 and 15-16 years, were assessed using the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN).
  
  
  METHODS
  Need for orthodontic treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Aesthetic treatment need (AC grades 8-10) and dental health component (DHC grades 4-5) occurred in 5-15% and 16-36% of the studied children, respectively. The need measured by DHC increased significantly between the two oldest age groups. An absolute need measured by combining AC grades 8-10 and DHC grades 4-5 was found in 3-12% of the subjects and it increased significantly with age (p<0.03). The most prevalent severe occlusal feature placing the children in the great need category was cross bite. While about 3-19% of the children had distal occlusion (Angle's Class II), mesial molar occlusion (Angle's Class III) was rare, occurring in 1-3% of the children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides baseline data on the need for orthodontic treatment among Tanzanian children that may be useful for the public oral health service to determine priority for orthodontic treatment as part of comprehensive child oral health care in Tanzania.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Mugonzibwa
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kuijpers-Jagtman
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: van 't Hof
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Kikwilu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004955:Esthetics, Dental; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000628:therapy*; D009970:Orthodontics; D011897:Random Allocation; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013636:Tanzania