Orthodontic treatment needs in Saudi young adults and manpower requirements

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate orthodontic treatment needs using the index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN) components and to estimate the required manpower in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A cross-sectional study involving 670 participants (390 females and 280 males) collected between November 2016 and April 2017, whose ages ranged from 12-19 years from secondary and high school students. Treatment needs were estimated using the IOTN components, dental health component (DHC), and aesthetic component (AC). RESULTS: The results according to the severity of malocclusion using IOTN-DHC found that 24.3% of the cases required severe/extreme need and 54.3% were in the no/slight need category. The most frequent types of malocclusion were crowding (48.8%) followed by increased overjet (21.8%), and spacing (16.1%). Using Pearson’s Chi-squared test, there was a statistically significant association (p<0.001) between IOTN-DHC and IOTN-AC; 51.2% of the sample was in agreement at the mild need category, indicating a strong correlation, with a coefficient of 0.687. CONCLUSION: According to the IOTN’s components, the present study showed that almost one-quarter of the sample had a severe/extreme need for orthodontic treatment. The most frequent type of malocclusion traits according to the severity was crowding followed by increased overjet and then spacing. The Ministry of Health must employ 90-110 orthodontists in Jeddah to meet the demands of the definite needs for orthodontics in adolescents.