Orthodontic treatment complexity and need in a Nigerian teaching hospital.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the orthodontic treatment need and complexity in a major referral orthodontic centre in Lagos, Nigeria. METHOD Pre-treatment dental casts of 150 consecutive patients were assessed using the Index of Complexity, Outcome and Need (ICON). RESULTS Fifty-seven (38%) of the population needed orthodontic treatment. Twenty-five (16.7%) cases were classified as difficult or very difficult, 14.7% moderate and 68.6% belonged to the easy/mild categories. The overall mean ICON score was 43 ± 17.8 SD. There were no significant age or gender differences in the pre-treatment ICON score. There was a significant association (p<0.05) between treatment need and social class: more subjects from the lower social class needed orthodontic treatment than subjects from the higher social class. CONCLUSIONS More than one third of the population had a need for orthodontic treatment, of which close to one fifth were in the difficult to very difficult category. Patients in the lower socio-economic class had greater need for orthodontic treatment than those from the higher class.