ABSTRACT
The study was done to assess the prevalence of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment needs using Dental Aesthetic Index [DAI] among 12-15 years old school children in Davangere, Karnataka - India. A total of 2010 high school students [991 males and 1019 females] randomly selected from public and private schools were examined for malocclusion using Dental Aesthetic Index by single examiner.The results showed that the mean Dental Aesthetic Index score of 18.2, with males having a significantly higher DAI score [18.9] than females [17.5]. It was observed that 83.4% of the study population had DAI score <25 which required no or slight treatment. 15.5% required elective treatment and only 1.1% of the children with DAI score of 31-35 required emergency treatment. A highly statistical significant difference in DAI scores was found between males and females [P <0.001]