Page 20 - MDJ 2022 Jan-Jun, Volume 45 Number 1

Malaysian Dental Journal Volume 45 Issue 1/2022
 2022 The Malaysian Dental Association
MALAYSIAN DENTAL JOURNAL

Orthodontic Treatment Need of the Referred Patients in the East Coast of Sabah

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Lee JH Orthodontic Department, Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, 88300 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Ministry of Health,
Malaysia.

Ebin LE Orthodontic Department, Sandakan Dental Clinic, 90500 Sandakan, Sabah, Ministry of Health, Malaysia.

Correspondence: Dr Lee Jin Han, [email protected]
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ABSTRACT
Aim: To assess the orthodontic treatment need of patients referred for orthodontic consultation.

Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional retrospective study of 138 dental records (written case notes, radiographs, and study
models) of patients who attended the orthodontic consultation clinic in 2018 in the East Coast of Sabah. All patients were examined by
orthodontists. Data taken were demographic data (age, gender, and ethnic group), and source of referral. The dental records were assessed
for orthodontic treatment need based on Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need- Dental Health Component (IOTN-DHC). All data were
analysed descriptively.

Results: Mean age of the patients was 16.89 ± 0.37 years, with females being predominant (n = 101, 73.19 %). Most patients were
Chinese (n = 68, 49.28 %) and Bumiputera Sabah (n = 55, 39.86 %). The main source of referral was dentists (n = 128, 92.75 %). Most
patients had IOTN Grade 4 or Grade 5 (n = 114, 82.61 %). The most common type of malocclusion was crowding (n = 57, 41.30 %),
followed by increased overjet (n = 33, 23.91 %) and impacted teeth (n = 16, 11.59 %).
Conclusion: More than three-quarters of the referred patients had definite orthodontic treatment need. Crowding was the most common
type of malocclusion.

Key words: orthodontic; treatment need; malocclusion; Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN).

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INTRODUCTION Therefore, assessment of orthodontic treatment
need is necessary to assist in the selection of patients who
Malocclusion is an appreciable deviation from require treatment most and would benefit most from the
the ideal occlusion. It can affect patients’ oral health well- treatment received. It could also help clinicians assess the
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being, functional well-being, social well-being, as well as severity of malocclusion and to evaluate the treatment
the quality of life of the parents or family members. outcomes. Furthermore, orthodontic treatment need
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Dissatisfaction with facial attractiveness and dental assessment is also useful for clinical intervention, dental-
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aesthetic, recommendation from dentists, and the influence based programs, and resource planning.
of braces-wearing peers are the main reasons for patients
to seek orthodontic treatment. The most commonly used orthodontic indices are
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the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN),
A notable increase in the demand for orthodontic followed by the Peer Assessment Rating (PAR), the Dental
treatment has occurred as a consequence of the high Aesthetic Index (DAI), and the Index of Complexity
perception rate of malocclusion, along with a greater Outcome and Need (ICON). The IOTN comprises two
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attention to aesthetics. However, not all these patients are parts, a Dental Health Component (DHC) and an Aesthetic
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in need of orthodontic treatment. The long waiting lists in Component (AC), which has been described extensively.
government orthodontic clinics indicate that the resources With regard to other methods, the IOTN-DHC is reliable
for orthodontic treatment are insufficient to accommodate over time with almost perfect reproducibility. In
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the demand for services. Moreover, the demand for addition, a standardised index is important to prioritise
orthodontic treatment might outweigh the real treatment patients based on their treatment need, to assist in
need.
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