ABSTRACT
This study was carried out on 1250 randomly selected first year secondary school students in Alexandria to assess the prevalence and severity of malocclusion and some other oral health conditions, namely, plaque accumulation, gingivitis and gingival recession and the possible association of these conditions with malocclusion. The Prevalence of malocclusion was determined using the dental aesthetic index [DAI] that links clinical and aesthetic component mathematically to produce a single score; also DAI have been developed to allow categorization of malocclusion according to levels of treatment need. Plaque accumulation, gingivitis and gingival recession were assessed using plaque index of Silness and Loe [1964], gingival index of Loe and Silness [1963]and gingival recession index of Stahl and Morris [1955], respectively. The study showed that the mean DAI for total students was 23.05 +/- 5.1. The students who had a normal occlusion accounted for 76.2%, while individuals who had severe malocclusion where treatment was highly desirable accounted for 5% and individuals who had very severe malocclusion [handicapping] and needed a- mandatory orthodontic treatment accounted for 2.3%. The DAI showed no significant difference between males and females. However, the students in urban areas showed a higher score of DAI than those in rural areas, this difference was statistically significant. The mean plaque index [P1I] for total students was 1 .2 +/- 0.5.While the mean gingival index was 0.83 +/- 0.6. About 238 [19%] of individuals exhibited gingival recession. Male groups showed significantly more plaque accumulation, worse gingival condition and greater recession than female groups. Crowding as well as irregularity of the teeth in the anterior segment were found to be significantly correlated with plaque accumulation, gingivitis and gingival recession. It is concluded that the handicapping malocclusion is not prevalent among the studied students and consequently mandatory orthodontic treatment is not highly needed and that crowding and irregularities are predisposing to poor oral hygiene, gingival inflammation and gingival recession. Thus, it is strongly recommended that students suffering from malocclusion problems should receive a regular prophylactic therapy and proper dental health education to be aware of their oral hygiene status