Abstract
Malocclusion as assessed from diagnostic models versus orthodontic treatment decision-making: a retrospective study
Private practice in Bydgoszcz
Department of Conservative Dentistry, Medical University of Poznan
Interdisciplinary Department of Wellbeing, Health and Environmental Sustainability (BeSSA), Sapienza University of Rome, Rieti, Italy
Department of Otolaryngology, Phoniatrics and Audiology, Collegium Medicum in Bydgoszcz, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Torun
University Centre of Dentistry and Specialist Medicine in Poznan
Forum Ortod 2026; 22 (1): 18-33
While occlusal defects are one of the most common reasons
for orthodontic consultations, the decision to initiate orthodontic treatment
depends on more than just clinical diagnosis.
Aim
The aim of the study was to evaluate whether malocclusion
features and dental arch parameters, as assessed from digital diagnostic
models, correlate with the decisions to initiate orthodontic treatment
following consultation.
Material and methods
A retrospective observational study was carried out on the
medical records of patients presenting for orthodontic consultations in the
years 2022 through 2024. Included in the analysis were patients aged ≥ 11 years
for whom digital diagnostic models had been generated. The models were used to
evaluate, among other factors, Angle’s classes of dental relationships,
crowding, spacing, crossbite and scissor bite, and midline asymmetry; the
measurements of the width of the dental arches, overbite, and overjet were also
taken. The main study variable was the initiation of orthodontic treatment
after consultation.
Results
The analytical population consisted of 832 patients,
including 476 patients in whom orthodontic treatment was started as a result of
consultation. No significant differences were observed between the groups with
regard to the dental arch width or overjet measurements. In contrast, overbite
was slightly greater in the group of patients starting orthodontic treatment (p
= 0.049). The prevalence of dental crowding was also significantly higher in
this group (82.25% vs 76.45%; p = 0.038). No significant differences were
observed between the groups with regard to the remaining occlusal features.
Conclusions
Within the analyzed population, the uptake of orthodontic
treatment was more frequently associated with the presence of dental crowding
and a slightly higher overbite. The width of the dental arches, on the other
hand, did not correlate with the decision on the treatment. The results
indicate that evaluation of spatial conditions within the dental arches, as
well as vertical interdental relationships, may be of particular importance in
the context of the decision to initiate orthodontic treatment.
Keywords
orthodontic treatment, malocclusion, dental crowding, overbite, digital orthodontic models
Integrated with
