Epidemiology of orthodontic treatment need in southwestern Ethiopian children: a cross sectional study using the index of orthodontic treatment need

BACKGROUND: The planning of orthodontic treatment within a public health system requires information on the orthodontic treatment needs of the population. It is important to have epidemiological data to estimate the total need for orthodontic care in any region. The present study aimed to determine the orthodontic treatment need in 12 years old Southwestern Ethiopian children. METHODS: The institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted which involved 347 twelve years old school children randomly selected from seven different public schools in Jimma Town, Southwestern Ethiopia. A structured interview and clinical examination were used to assess the subjects. One examiner used Dental Health Component (DHC) and Aesthetic Component (AC) of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN) to estimate the treatment need. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used for data analysis with statistical significance set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: According to the DHC of IOTN, almost half of the subjects in the sample were in moderate to the great need for orthodontic treatment. About 15% of the children had a great need for orthodontic treatment based on IOTN-AC. The most prevalent occlusal traits for defining the DHC categorization include increased Overjet (30.8%) and Crowding (23.3%). There was no statistical difference in the distribution of DHC grades and AC scored based on gender. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that the need for orthodontic treatment was high. The percentage of the need for orthodontic treatment is higher in comparison to most of the studies conducted in African regions. Therefore, publicly subsidized orthodontic treatment should be planned and provided to those who are in great need for orthodontic treatment. Besides, awareness about orthodontic treatment should also be considered.