Objective:

The aim of this study was to identify the need for orthodontic treatment in Turkey and the differences between the 7 geographic regions.

Materials and Methods:

In the orthodontic part of the survey, extraoral and intraoral examination of 1023 randomly selected individuals (500 female and 523 male, mean ages 13.10±3.11 years) was performed. The need of orthodontic treatment was evaluated with the aesthetic component (AC) and dental health component (DHC) of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN). To analyze the data, descriptive statistical methods (mean value, prevalence ratio, and standard deviation) were performed. The significance of regional IOTN differences and gender distributions were assessed by means of chi-square test.

Results:

No statistically significant differences were found in gender distribution in the total and different regional samples (p>0.05). According to the DHC, 28.7% did not need orthodontic treatment, 16.3% were borderline cases, and 55.0% had severe need for orthodontic therapy. Little or no need for treatment was found in 91.8% of the study group according to the AC. Significant interregional differences were determined by DHC (p<0.01). The treatment need was greatest in the Southeastern Anatolia region (72.6%) and least in the Marmara region (34.1%).

Conclusions:

Orthodontic treatment need was significantly different between the geographic regions in Turkey. The need for orthodontic treatment was high in the total sample; nevertheless, the lack of awareness of the need for treatment was a worrisome finding.

Keywords: orthodontic treatment need, epidemiologic analysis