A survey on the timing of orthodontic interventions for pediatric patients

Abstract

The timing of visits to the dentist by children with a chief complaint of malocclusion depends on the awareness of the guardians. To find out the timing of the first time visit and the treatment outcomes, the clinical data on 485 children aged 1 to 11 years who visited our clinic was investigated. The outcomes were classified into 3: (1) Growth observation until the optimal time to start treatment (growth observation group), (2) immediate start of treatment (treatment group), and (3) no wish for management (including second opinion, no wish group). The patients in Group (1) and Group (2) were further classified according to occlusal classification. The most common age at initial visits was 8 years, followed by 9 years. The treatment outcomes were as follows: (1) 134 patients (27.6%) in the growth observation group, (2) 107 patients (22.1%) in the treatment group, and (3) 244 patients (50.3%) in the no wish group. The most common malocclusions in the growth monitoring group were maxillary protrusion and crowding, while those in the treatment group had cross bites, followed by eruption disorder and open bite. In the treatment group, the most common malocclusions were maxillary protrusion and crowding. However, this period, when parents are interested, can be considered as an important time to convey the ideal future oral function.