Need for Preventive/Interceptive Orthodontic Treatment Among 7– to 10-year-old Nigerian Children in Ibadan, Nigeria: An Epidemiological Survey

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this epidemiological survey was to assess the level of needs for preventive/interceptive orthodontics among 7-10-year-old children in Ibadan, Nigeria, which is the second vigilance period in the study of developing occlusions. Methods: The sample consisted of 493 school children – 237 (48.1%) boys and 256 (51.9%) girls randomly selected from various schools and different socio-economic groups. They were all examined in their school environments under natural illumination and the findings entered into a pre-structured form. Results: The study revealed that about 27% of the children had need for one form of preventive/interceptive orthodontic treatment or the other. Some of the needs detected were as follows: prolonged retention of primary teeth (6.9%), crossbite (10.3%), early loss of primary teeth (4.3%), oral habits (7.3%), overjet of more than 6mm (4.9%), carious lesions (14.8%), crowding (18.9%) and clinically missing upper lateral incisors (3.7%). The relationship between observed occlusal discrepancies and oral habits was found very statistically significant (p<0.001). No gender differences were noted among the children with preventive/interceptive needs (p>0.05). Children from the working class accounted for 55.2% of the study sample while 44.8% were from the middle class families. Conclusion: It was concluded that over one third of these children would benefit from preventive interceptive orthodontics and that such care should be encouraged in our environment due to their known numerous benefits especially in a country like Nigeria where many can’t afford the cost of full blown orthodontic services.