title: Dentofacial abnormalities among adolescents: A study on the prevalence and severity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objectives of this investigation were to assess prevalence and severity of dentofacial abnormalities and orthodontic treatment need among adolescents in Mangalore taluk.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1340 children from randomly selected high schools. A proforma was used to record demographic data and components of the Dental Aesthetic Index [DAI] for each subject. The Chi squared test was used for analysis with p-value of < 0.05 considered statistically significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dentofacial abnormalities (DAI scores ≥ 26) were recorded in 38.5% subjects. Mean DAI score of the study population was 24.59 ± 6.09. Female subjects presented with higher prevalence and higher mean DAI scores than their male counterparts (p > 0.05). Assessment of severity of malocclusion between age groups revealed no differences (p > 0.05). Orthodontic treatment was highly desirable in 11% and mandatory in 5.2% subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A high prevalence of dentofacial abnormalities was found among adolescents in Mangalore taluk pointing towards a need for designing effective programs for early diagnosis and treatment of this condition, especially among adolescents. Key words:Adolescents, Dental Aesthetic Index [DAI], dentofacial abnormalities, malocclusion, orthodontic treatment need, prevalence, severity.
authors.affiliation: Reader, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Yenepoya Dental College, Mangalore, India.
authors.forename: Rekha P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Shenoy
authors.affiliation: Professor and Head, Department of Public Health Dentistry, Yenepoya Dental College, Mangalore, India.
authors.forename: Ganesh
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Shenoy-Panchmal