Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 24, 2026
Measuring Maxillary Posterior Tooth Movement: A Model Assessment using Palatal and Dental Superimposition
Published on: February 23, 2024
Need for orthodontic treatment among Tanzanian children
E A Mugonzibwa1, A M Kuijpers-Jagtman, M A van 't Hof
1Department of Preventive and Community Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Objective:
To determine the need for orthodontic treatment among Tanzanian Bantu children.
Design:
Prospective study using dental casts.
Setting:
Sixteen randomly selected schools from the Ilala district, Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania.
Subject:
Six hundred and forty three Tanzanian children from an urban district.
Method:
Dental casts of 643 Tanzanian subjects in age groups 3-5, 6-8, 9-11 and 15-16 years, were assessed using the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN).
Main Outcome Measures:
Need for orthodontic treatment.
Results:
Aesthetic treatment need (AC grades 8-10) and dental health component (DHC grades 4-5) occurred in 5-15% and 16-36% of the studied children, respectively. The need measured by DHC increased significantly between the two oldest age groups. An absolute need measured by combining AC grades 8-10 and DHC grades 4-5 was found in 3-12% of the subjects and it increased significantly with age (p<0.03). The most prevalent severe occlusal feature placing the children in the great need category was cross bite. While about 3-19% of the children had distal occlusion (Angle's Class II), mesial molar occlusion (Angle's Class III) was rare, occurring in 1-3% of the children.
Conclusions:
This study provides baseline data on the need for orthodontic treatment among Tanzanian children that may be useful for the public oral health service to determine priority for orthodontic treatment as part of comprehensive child oral health care in Tanzania.
Related Concept Videos
01:15Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin and...
01:21Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or grinding food.