title: Prevalence of malocclusion traits and orthodontic treatment in a Finnish adult population.
abstract: Objective The aim of the study was to examine the prevalence of malocclusion traits and the extent of orthodontic treatment in a Finnish adult population. Materials and methods The study population comprised subjects (n = 1964) from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 living in the city of Oulu and within 100 km of it. A clinical oral and dental examination with registration of occlusion was carried out in 2012 in connection with a 46-year follow-up survey. Data on previous orthodontic treatment were collected based on a questionnaire. Results In the clinical examination, 39.5% of the subjects had at least one malocclusion trait. The most common malocclusion traits were lateral crossbite (17.9%), overbite ≥ 6 mm (11.7%) and overjet ≥ 6 mm (9.7%). Crossbite on the left premolars, negative overjet and increased overbite were found more frequently in men. The prevalence of malocclusion traits was at the same level in treated and untreated groups. Overall, 18.6% of the subjects had undergone orthodontic treatment. Women showed a significantly higher prevalence of orthodontic treatment. Conclusions The most common malocclusion trait in the present study was lateral crossbite. Significant male dominance in the prevalence of malocclusion was observed, which has not been reported earlier in Finland. Orthodontic treatment of malocclusion traits was more common among females in Northern Finland. This study indicates that orthodontic treatment provided in childhood was, on average, adequate in reducing malocclusion traits to the level observed in the general population.
authors.affiliation: a Oral Development and Orthodontics, Unit of Oral Health Sciences, Medical Faculty , University of Oulu , Oulu , Finland ;
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Krooks
authors.affiliation: a Oral Development and Orthodontics, Unit of Oral Health Sciences, Medical Faculty , University of Oulu , Oulu , Finland ;|b Oulu University Hospital, Medical Research Centre Oulu , Oulu , Finland ;
authors.forename: Pertti
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pirttiniemi
authors.affiliation: c School of Dental Medicine , Tufts University , Boston , MA , USA.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kanavakis
authors.affiliation: a Oral Development and Orthodontics, Unit of Oral Health Sciences, Medical Faculty , University of Oulu , Oulu , Finland ;|b Oulu University Hospital, Medical Research Centre Oulu , Oulu , Finland ;
authors.forename: Raija
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lähdesmäki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001641:Bicuspid / Q000473:pathology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D007574:Jaw Relation Record; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D008875:Middle Aged; D024343:Open Bite / Q000453:epidemiology; D009971:Orthodontics, Corrective / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057887:Overbite / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Cohort studies; epidemiology; malocclusion; orthodontics