Validity of Little’s Irregularity Index on Photocopied Images of Dental Casts

Crowding whether primary or secondary is one of the main reasons for seeking orthodontic treatment. Incisor irregularity is an easy and excellent indicator of the severity of crowding. Assessment of incisor irregularity on photocopied images can prove to be a good mean as an alternate to the conventional method of assessment on dental casts. In this study a sample of 58 dental casts were selected using non probability purposive sampling technique. The accuracy of assessment of incisor irregularity on photocopied images is judged by finding its comparison with direct method of assessment on dental casts which showed a good agreement when assessed using paired sample t test (pvalue= 0.201) and the correlation was 0.775. An advantage of assessment of incisor irregularity on photocopied images is that the vertical errors that can occur in conventional method are precluded. Thus this study concludes that an alternate way of assessment of incisor irregularity on photocopied images is a reliable diagnostic tool which can be considered in our routine diagnostic procedures.