Prevalence of angle class III malocclusion: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: This study seeks to review current and relevant literature on global Angle class III malocclusion prevalence. Materials and Methods: The electronic databases PubMed, ISI Web of Knowledge, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Review were searched using specific inclusion criteria to obtain applicable articles. All pertinent references were also examined for acceptability. Results: A total of 20 articles were identified using the inclusion criteria. The prevalence of Angle class III malocclusion ranged from 0% to 26.7% in different populations reported in the literature examined. Meta-regression analysis showed no statistically significant association between prevalence rates and the method of assessment, age group and year of the study. However, much of the study-to-study variation (approximately 40%) could be explained by population. Conclusion: These results suggest that the prevalence of Angle class III malocclusion varies greatly within different races and geographic regions. Chinese and Malaysian populations have a higher prevalence of Angle class III malocclusion compared to other racial groups, while Indian populations have a lower prevalence than all other racial groups examined.