Orthodontic treatment complexity and need at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, according to the Index of Complexity, Outcome and Need (ICON): A pilot study

Abstract

Although occlusal indices have been useful in research, audit, practice management, and quality assurance in clinical orthodontics, complexity of orthodontic cases had not been easy to assess for a long time in clinical practice. This pilot study aimed at assessing the orthodontic treatment need and complexity in a referral orthodontic centre in Nigeria. A retrospective analysis of 56 pre-treatment study models randomly selected from the orthodontic model collection of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria was carried out without any bias for age or gender. The index of Complexity, Outcome and Need (ICON) was used as the outcome measure. Descriptive statistics were employed in the data analysis. Forty-seven (83.9%) of the sample needed treatment. Thirty-four (60.7%) cases were classified as difficult or very difficult. Only 1 (1.8%) and 13(23.2%) belonged to the easy and mild categories, respectively. The overall mean ICON score was 67.4±19.6 SD (range 25-104). Considerable proportions of these referred orthodontic cases in Nigeria needed treatment and had treatment complexity comparable to the Caucasians.