Prevalence of Orthodontic Malocclusion and Evaluation Criteria in 7 Geographic Regions of Turkey

Abstract

Objective:The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic evaluation criteria in Turkey and determine differences among the 7 regions.Materials and Method:In our research, extra- and intraoral examination of 1023 randomly selected persons from rural and central parts of different regions (500 female subjects and 523 male subjects; mean age = 13.10 ± 3.11) were performed. To analyze the data, descriptive statistical methods (mean value, prevalence ratio, standard deviation) were carried out. The significance of regional differences of the evaluation criteria and gender distributions were assessed by means of a χ2 test.Results:Comparison of the classification of malocclusion, crossbite, chin deviation asymmetry, smile line, cleft lip and palate, and profile among the regions showed significant differences (p 0.05).Conclusion:Malocclusion and all orthodontic evaluation criteria except midline diastema (p < 0.05) and openbite (p < 0.01) demonstrated statistically significant differences among the 7 regions of Turkey. As a result, we suggest that the distribution of orthodontic anomalies in the different geographic areas should be examined separately to give a more accurate picture of the actual occurrence rate and, therefore, contribute to the development of targeted health policies.

Keywords

• epidemiological survey
• malocclusion
• orthodontic criteria
• regional differences