Orthodontic treatment need of secondary schoolchildren in Heidelberg, Victoria: an epidemiologic study using the Dental Aesthetic Index.

Using the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI), this study was performed to measure the distribution, prevalence and severity of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment need in a selected population of adolescents, and to determine if the malocclusion so defined was affected by sociodemographic variables such as age, gender, ethnic and socioeconomic background. Two hundred and sixty-eight secondary schoolchildren, aged 12 to 16 years from Heidelberg, Victoria participated in the study. Each subject was administered a questionnaire eliciting standard demographic information such as age, gender, parent's occupation, and ethnic origin. Intra-oral examination for occlusal status using the DAI was performed for each subject. The findings demonstrated that most subjects (63.4 per cent) had a dental appearance requiring no treatment. Only six per cent of the subjects had malocclusions that needed mandatory treatment. Malocclusion, as defined in the study, was found to be significantly associated with age.