title: Epidemiology of Malocclusion and Assessment of Orthodontic Treatment Need for Nepalese Children.
abstract: Objective. To evaluate the prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs among 12- to 15-year-old schoolchildren in eastern Nepal and compare the findings with those of other populations. Methods. Two thousand seventy-four children (1149 males and 925 females) aged between 12 and 15 years were evaluated. Their orthodontic treatment need was assessed using the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Needs (IOTN) (dental health component (DHC)). Angle's classes of malocclusion were also evaluated. Results. The prevalence of classes I, II, and III was 48.50%, 32.68%, and 4.32%, respectively. The IOTN showed that 21.59% had an extreme treatment need, 24.67% had severe treatment need, 24.07% had moderate treatment need, 14.7% had mild treatment need, and 15.02% had no treatment need. Conclusion. Class I malocclusion is the most common, while class III is the least prevalent in eastern Nepal. The majority of the children need orthodontic treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, Nobel Medical College & Teaching Hospital, Biratnagar 56700, Nepal.
authors.forename: Varun Pratap
authors.initials: VP
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, SHKM Government Medical College, Mewat, Haryana 122107, India.
authors.forename: Amita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sharma