A Cross-Sectional Evaluation of Self-Perceived Orthodontic Treatment Needs Amongst Tribal Adolescent With Remote Access to Orthodontic Treatment Using a Simplified Malocclusion Index

Background: Self-perceived orthodontic treatment need is strongly influenced by what is perceived to be the esthetic norm amongst a community, and reluctance toward treatment amongst adolescents with clinically ascertained malocclusion may often be due to readily remediable factors. Of particular interest is the prevalence of malocclusion amongst such communities as a probable indicator of the role of diet and genetics in establishing a predominant clinical phenotype that may also play a role in the construct of what is perceived as the esthetic norm amongst the community, thereby influencing the self-perceived need for treatment. Studies aimed at evaluating the association between self-perceived esthetics, and self-perceived treatment need have not been performed amongst a population with no prior exposure to orthodontic treatment Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the self-perceived orthodontic treatment need amongst the tribal adolescents belonging to regions with remote access to orthodontic treatment by way of a verbally assigned index and to also identify the reasons of reluctance toward treatment to better understand how to make orthodontic treatment readily accessible to such populations. Participants, Materials, and Methods: The agency areas of Paderu located at 18.0833°N 82.667°E and Parvathipuram located at 18°46'N 83°25'E are 2 revenue districts of Visakhapatnam and Vizianagaram, respectively, in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, that are home to various tribal populations with remote access to orthodontic treatment. A total of 2,016 school-going tribal adolescents of the Paderu revenue division and 819 tribal adolescents of the Parvathipuram revenue division were examined to ascertain the prevalence of malocclusion. Necessary consent and permissions were obtained from the tribal authorities, the school authorities, parents, and the institutional ethical clearance committee. The screening was done utilizing natural daylight in compliance with infection prevention and control protocol. Clinical examination aimed at categorizing the observed occlusion into either ideal occlusion or one of the three classes of Angle’s class I, II, and III malocclusions. The Simplified Malocclusion Index For Layperson Evaluation (SMILE) was verbally assigned in the vernacular language while interacting with each child and the findings made note of for calculation of relevant scores related to their orthodontic awareness, self-esteem as related to self-perceived esthetics, and their self-perceived need for treatment. Reasons for reluctance to undergo treatment were noted down if expressed. An initial group of 31 adolescents categorized as presenting with clinical malocclusion were randomly picked up and assigned the SMILE index a second time to assess the reliability of the index by way of Cohen’s kappa statistic. Results: The initial test group of 31 individuals assigned the SMILE twice showed a Cohen’s kappa of 0.93 validating almost perfect intraoperator agreement. The SMILE index revealed that 80.95% of the adolescents of Paderu revenue division had orthodontic awareness and 79.51% had self-perceived esthetics but only 15.97% felt a need for orthodontic treatment. Pearson’s Chi squared statistical analysis indicated a gender bias related to the self-perceived need for orthodontic treatment ( X 2 [1, N = 1,371] = 19.71, P < .001). The Index assigned to the Parvathipuram division revealed that 77.04% had orthodontic awareness and 78.38 had self-perceived esthetics but only 6.95% felt the need for orthodontic treatment. Pearson’s Chi squared statistical analysis indicated a gender bias related to the self-perceived need for orthodontic treatment ( X 2 [1, N = 764] = 4.95, P = .02). Conclusion: The self-perceived need for orthodontic treatment is often based on the self-perceived esthetics of an individual or the self-esteem as influenced by the perceived esthetic norm of the community. Orthodontic treatment of adolescents with borderline malocclusion derangements requires careful ascertaining of the actual perceived need of the patient to enable the rendering of a justifiable orthodontic treatment with the complete trust of the young patient. This helps build community trust in regions where orthodontic treatment has not yet made in roads and may help ensure higher end of treatment satisfaction levels.