Indications for early orthodontic treatment: a population study in Jerusalem

Introduction: The American Association of Orthodontics (AAO) recommends an orthodontic examination at the age of 7 years in order to treat specific malocclusions amenable to "early orthodontic treatment" (EOT). Objectives: to establish the prevalence of dental features indicating EOT and to correlate it with gender and social group (secular, religious and orthodox). Methods: A group of 7-11 years old schoolchildren, representing the Jerusalem population (n=432), was clinically screened for indications for EOT according to the AAO. Results: Normal occlusal relationships were found in 10.9% only. Over 1/3 of the youngsters (34.7%) presented at least one of the indications for EOT: Anterior and posterior cross-bites were found in 9.5% and 23.3% respectively; Angle Class III was found in 3%; Increased overjet (>7 mm) prevailed in 3.7% and was significantly related to risk for dental trauma (p=0.001); while oral habits were practiced by 10.9%, open bite was found only in 6.5%, both predominantly among girls (p=0.012 and p=0.006 respectively); Impinging overbite was present in 5.2%, mainly in boys (p=0.006); crowding >5 mm was found in 6.9% for the maxilla and in 6% for the mandible. Loss of tooth material affecting tooth position was found in 15.3%. This was found significantly more in the religious section than in the secular section (p=0.003). Conclusions: 1.About 1/3 of the examined children in Jerusalem between the ages 7-11 years can benefit from EOT. 2. For some of the occlusal features sexual dimorphism was demonstrated.

This study was funded by the Hebrew University-Hadassah Mutual Fund