Prevalence of orthodontic malocclusion in children aged 10-12: an epidemiological study

Global studies have reported varying malocclusion prevalence, highlighting its dependence on age, gender, and population characteristics. This study aims to determine the prevalence of malocclusion in randomly selected public school children and to identify the most common type of malocclusion in this population.

This study is a cross-sectional study covering school-age children in Bolu, Turkey A total of 1144 students (591 females, 553 males) aged 10-12 participated in this study. Orthodontic anomalies such as anterior and posterior crossbite, overjet, overbite, open bite, deep bite, midline diastema, presence of wedge lateral teeth, crowding, presence of diastema, Angle malocclusion classification, and abnormal habits were recorded in detail. In the statistical analysis, descriptive analyses were performed, Pearson chi-square test was used to evaluate the differences between the groups, and Kappa test was used to determine the intra-observer consistency.

Posterior crossbite prevalence was found to be higher in females than in males. Moderate overjet and deep bite prevalence were found to be higher in males. The most common malocclusion was Class I, followed by Class II Division 2, Class II Division 1, and Class III malocclusions. Abnormal habits were more common in females, with nail-biting being the most common abnormal habit.

This study provides basic data on orthodontic variables in school-age children. In order to meet the increasing aesthetic and functional needs, more importance should be given to interceptive orthodontic treatments and prevalence studies in this regard.