Over the past decades, the number of patients seeking orthodontic treatment has increased markedly with socioeconomic development and change of recognition on appearance.
The purpose of this study was to provide an epidemiologic data base related to the orthodontic treatment need. We could take an adequate information regarding the characteristics of orthodontic patients, and the changing trends about treatment mordality. Distrubution and treands were investigated in 676 patients who had been examined and diagnosed at Department of orthodontics, Dental Hosital, Seoul National University from January to June in 1992 and 2002.
1. Sex distribution of patients changed from 1 : 2.1 to 1 : 1.5 (male : female).
2. In 2002, age distribution had shown 7-12 year-old group being the largest (32.0%) and percentage of 19-24,
13-18, over 25, 4 -6, 0-3 year-old group were 24.09/6, 21.6%,14.2?0, 5.8%, 2.4% respctively. Compared with data in 1992, the number of adult patients highly increased.
3. With regard to Angle classification, each percentage of Class I, Class II div 1, Class l1--div 2, and Class III malocclusion were 25.0%, 20.9%, 3.4%, and 48.1% respectively in 2002.
4. Geographic distribution showed that most of the patients visited (37.0%) lived in northeast of Seoul in 2002. 5. Mandibular prognathism showed the highest percentage in chief complaints. The percentages of crowding and
facial asymmetry were 14.2% and 11.8% in 2002. Patients with facial asymmetry increased significantly.
6. Percentages of patients treated with fixed appliance and orthognathic surgery were 38.0% and 25.0% in 2002.
Patients needed to observe the growth pattern comprised 13.0% with increasing trends. The use of chin cap
reduced and the percentage of orthognathic surgery and growth observation increased significantly.
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