The effectiveness of phase I orthodontic treatment in a Medicaid population.

Background: The effectiveness of early orthodontic treatment for Medicaid-enrolled children in the mixed dentition was assessed and compared with results in a population of private-pay patients.

Material: Pre- and posttreatment casts from 196 subjects treated with interceptive orthodontics in the mixed dentition were evaluated by using the peer assessment rating (PAR) index and the index of complexity, outcome, and need (ICON). Ninety-six of the patients were treated at Odessa Brown Community Clinic in Seattle; their treatment was paid by Medicaid.