Orthodontic treatment need of mentally handicapped children in Ibadan, Nigeria, according to the dental aesthetic index.

PURPOSE: Proper well-organized orthodontic treatment planning for special needs patients quantifies such needs with a valid screening method to determine priority treatment. The aim of this study was to determine the orthodontic treatment needs of mentally handicapped children in Ibadan, Nigeria.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 124 mentally handicapped children, 68 boys and 56 girls who were 6 to 18 years old with mean age of 14.5 +/- 1.5 years, drawn from 7 special centers/schools in the city.

RESULTS

Less than 42% had normal or minor malocclusions needing slight or no treatment; 17% had definite malocclusions with treatment elective; 9% had severe malocclusions and treatment highly desirable; 32% had very severe or handicapping malocclusions with treatment considered mandatory. Significant gender differences were found in the mean dental aesthetic index (DAI) scores (P < .05) and significant association noted (P < .05) between severe mental retardation and DAI scores deserving treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

There were considerable orthodontic treatment needs among the study population with a reasonable percentage deserving treatment in publicly funded programs.