Public community orthodontics in Italy. Description of an experience

To assess the reliability and simplicity of a method chosen for selecting subjects to be treated in the orthodontic system and for the acceptance of the method by the community.

490 orthodontic patients received full dental examination. For each patient a table was prepared for the detection of malocclusion in which the occlusal characteristics according to the Norwegian Orthodontic Treatment Index (NOTI), the molar class and the teeth present were recorded. The parents of the examined children completed a questionnaire aimed at identifying their social ranking. In the same questionnaire, how many siblings the patient had was also asked. Each of the three parameters were rated alphanumerically and a score of 1 was given to each child; the sum of three scores gave the final result for the subject. Acceptance of the procedure in the general community was evaluated by the number of complaints received by the Public Relations Office (URP).

The social classes most represented in the sample are "blue collar class" (42.2%) and "white collar class" (35.6%). There was an average of 2.1 children per family (SD=0.6). The distribution of the type and grading of the treatment need was similar throughout the different social classes.

The chosen method proved reliable for two reasons: no complaints with the local URP and ease of application of the selected criteria.