Prevalence Of Skeletal Malocclusion Among Children - An Institution Based Study

Balanced facial features are much more pleasing and appealing in the majority of races and sexes rather than irregular or protruding teeth which also give a reflection of negative status. Malocclusion greatly affects the psychological and social well-being of the children.The knowledge of prevalence of skeletal malocclusion in children provides the clinician a helpful tool to handle such patients in their clinic with clarity and ease.The aim of the study is to evaluate the prevalence of skeletal malocclusion among children in Saveetha Dental College.A retrospective study was carried out using case records of 7679 patients who reported to the Department of Orthodontics from June 2019 to March 2020.The prevalence of skeletal malocclusion in children among gender and age group were observed from the digital records and tabulated on a spreadsheet. The collected data was analysed by computer software SPSS version 21 using Chi square test with the level of significance with age and gender. The percentage of children with skeletal malocclusion was 4.02% and the percentage of children without skeletal malocclusion was 95.98%. The prevalence of skeletal malocclusion in children was statistically significant with age but was not significant with gender of the child and was most prevalent in male children above the age group 10 years[>10].