title: Demand and referral pattern for orthodontic care at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the demand and pattern of referral for orthodontic services at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 21-month prospective clinic-based study of consecutive orthodontic patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The orthodontic clinic of University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. One hundred and seventy-eight (178) consecutive patients, consisting of 79 (44.4%) males and 99 (55.6%) females with mean age of 16.21+/-7.81 years were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  80% of subjects were 20 years of age or younger, while less than 2% were over 40 years of age. More females sought orthodontic care than males. Over 43% of the patients needed removable orthodontic appliances while close to 17% required treatment with fixed appliances. Extractions of retained primary teeth and other grossly malpositioned teeth accounted for 9.6% while 24.7% needed observation of occlusal developments before any treatment decisions could be made. Dentists were noted to be the main referrers of these patients, accounting for over 49% of the referrals, followed by 25.4% who were self referred, and 18.3% who attended under parental influence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  More girls than boys demanded orthodontic care and dentists were the major referrers of orthodontic patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Dentistry, University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. coonyeaso@yahoo.com
authors.forename: C O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Onyeaso
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D003796:Dental Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009549:Nigeria; D009967:Orthodontic Appliances / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009971:Orthodontics, Corrective / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014081:Tooth Extraction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data