Prevalence of malocclusion, gender distribution and choice of treatment in patients of different age group reporting for orthodontic treatment in South India

Abstract: Background: Although there are different types of malocclusion, each individual and their malocclusion is unique. There are various methods by which each malocclusion can be corrected depending on the age, gender, type of malocclusion and the severity of the malocclusion. In this study we have attempted to evaluate the various treatment methods employed in patients reporting for orthodontic treatment. Aim: The aim of the study is to determine the different treatment modalities in patients reporting for treatment to the orthodontic outpatient department Design: Cross-sectional study Setting: University hospital setting Materials and methods: The sample consisted of subjects belonging to the local Chennai population of South India reporting to the dental hospital for treatment for June 2019 to March 2020. The study design was cross‑sectional. They were screened retrospectively from data stored in the hospital digital archives for the prevalence of malocclusion and the treatment employed. The patients were grouped depending on the type of malocclusion namely class I, class II and class III malocclusion. The patient name, the patient identification number, age, gender, type of malocclusion and the type of treatment were recorded. Frequency distribution and the percentage of different treatment modalities were evaluated. Results: 1331 patients were evaluated. There were 867 patients belonging to Class I malocclusion. In the class II group, there were 424 patients with a mean age of 19.2642±5.69733 years. In the class III group, there were 40 patients with a mean age of 18.05±5.169 years. Fixed appliance had the highest prevalence among all the groups. Functional appliance and orthopedic appliance and orthognathic surgery followed in descending order. Conclusion Thus, class I malocclusion was the most prevalent abnormality followed by class II and class III. Treatment modalities were predominately fixed appliance followed by functional appliances and orthopedic appliance. This was followed by orthognathic surgery. The rest of the treatment options were minimal.