Evaluation of orthodontists' perception of treatment need and the peer assessment rating (PAR) index.

This paper examines the relationship between orthodontists' subjective assessment of treatment need and objective measurements obtained during standardized intra- and extraoral examinations. Logistic regression modeling was used to develop predictive models of treatment need. Data were obtained from 1155 eighth-grade students by four orthodontists who used standardized examination forms to assess demographics, trauma, skeletal relationships, morphologic malocclusion traits, and mandibular function. At the conclusion of the examination, the orthodontist rated the subjective treatment need as none, elective, recommended, soon, or immediate. For some analyses, the categories were collapsed to represent no need and need. The peer assessment rating (PAR) index (American validated version) was computed from the clinical exam findings and scoring of dental models; PAR scores were used to document malocclusion severity and treatment difficulty. Spearman rank correlation coefficients quantified the relationship between PAR scores and need categories. Logistic regression analysis modeled treatment need using components of the PAR index as well as other variables. The components of these models, as well as sensitivity and specificity, were compared with malocclusion severity/treatment difficulty scores obtained from malocclusion assessments using the PAR index. The five subjective treatment need categories and the PAR index scores were significantly correlated (rho = 0.62, p<0.001). Significant differences were detected between the need and no need groups for all PAR components (p<0.001). PAR index scores and predicted probabilities from logistic regression models performed equally well for classification purposes (no need, need). The data suggest that the PAR index is highly correlated with orthodontists' subjective assessment of treatment need when that assessment is made in the absence of financial considerations and patient desires.

Orthodontic treatment demand and need in third and fourth grade schoolchildren.

There have been few reports worldwide addressing orthodontic need and demand in children and no recent reports in the United States. The purpose of this study was to examine the orthodontic need and demand in third and fourth grade children (n = 3696). Data including age, sex, race, orthodontic status, socioeconomic status, availability of specialist treatment services, as well as thorough occlusal data, were collected. Orthodontic demand was significantly higher in girls (9.5%) than boys (6.8%), whereas need had the inverse relationship (41.8%, 44.2%, respectively). There were no meaningful differences in age among the demand, need, and no need groups. Demand was greater in white than in black children (11.8% versus 1.2%); however, need was observed to be less in black (35.3%) than in white children (47.2%). Demand was greater in the urban schools (8.9%) than in the rural schools (6.3%), whereas need was found to be similar. There was more demand in the higher socioeconomic groups (11.7%) than in the lower groups (1.8%), whereas need was similar in all the groups. The demand group had a significantly greater number of orthodontists within a radius of up to 5 miles of the school than the need and no need groups. Logistic regression models to examine factors that distinguish the groups show that when demand versus need/no need groups are compared, those students with an increased "risk" of previous treatment are more likely to have more orthodontists nearby, to be in higher socioeconomic groups, and to be female students.