Prevalence of Malocclusion Among School Children in Bangalore, India

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of malocclusion among school children of Bangalore city, India during their mixed dentition period. The sample consisted of 745 children (388 males and 357 females) in the age group of 8-12 years randomly selected from twelve different schools in Bangalore city. The subjects were randomly selected, and none had received previous orthodontic treatment. Occlusal anteroposterior relationships were assessed based on the Angle classification. Also various malocclusion features associated with class I malocclusion according to Dewey's modification of Angle's classification were assessed. The results showed that about 71% of the subjects had malocclusion. Class I malocclusion constituted the major proportion of malocclusion which was found in 62% of the studied population. No significant difference was found between boys and girls neither in the overall prevalence of malocclusion nor in various forms of malocclusion. Crowded incisors was found to be most ommon finding in subjects with class I malocclusion. A number of studies have been conducted to determine the prevalence of malocclusion among Indian children and it has been reported that the results range from a value as low as 19.6% (Miglani DC, Chennai 1961) to as high as 90% (Sidhu SS, Delhi). This varied range emphasizes the need to standardize criteria for assessing malocclusion.