Epidemiology of malocclusion in 3,491 subjects attending Public Dental Service in Rome (Italy): evaluation of the Orthodontic Treatment Need Index

The objective of this epidemiological survey is to investigate the dental-skeletal features of subjects attending the Public Dental Service in Unità Operativa Complessa (UOC) (Orthodontic Department of "La Sapienza University of Rome") and compare them with the existing body of evidence obtained from other surveys. Accordingly, the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) was employed, in order to achieve a common framework to allow the shaping of public health prevention practices.MATERIALS AND METHODS: A sample of 3,491 subjects in the Orthodontic Department of "La Sapienza-University of Rome" (UOC) was evaluated with the adoption of IOTN to define malocclusion severity. RESULTS: In the result analysis, it was observed that class II malocclusion was more frequent in the sample (40%), and a large part of the examined population also presented mandibular dental crowding (43%), increased overjet (41%), and increased overbite (38%). Only 26.44% (20.17% IOTN 4; 6.27% IOTN 5) had strong need for orthodontic treatment. CONCLUSION: The realization of epidemiological investigations to establish priority for treatment need is, therefore, particularly useful, not only to estimate the prevalence of some clinical conditions in the observed population, but also to plan targeted interventions, such as interceptive and corrective therapies in growing children. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: These interventions could solve specific clinical situations and/or prevent their escalation. Only in this way, it is possible to avoid fragmentation of the limited resources available, using them for patients with an objective need.