Demographic and social inequalities in need for orthodontic treatment among schoolchildren in Lithuania.

Unlabelled: The present study, which focused on Lithuanian 11-15-year-old schoolchildren, was aimed to describe the frequency of orthodontic anomalies in terms of self-reported complaints about malposed teeth and malocclusion and self-reported use of orthodontic appliances (removable or braces) across different sociodemographic strata.

Material And Methods: The study population comprised 5632 schoolchildren surveyed in the 2005-2006 school year according to the WHO collaborative cross-national HBSC study in Lithuania.

Results: Almost half (47.5%) of schoolchildren reported orthodontic complaints. Therefore, only 15.8% of total population or 27.0% of schoolchildren who had orthodontic complaints reported wearing orthodontic appliances. Several municipalities of Lithuania with a high prevalence of orthodontic problems among schoolchildren were identified. Orthodontic problems were more prevalent among girls than boys. The prevalence of orthodontic complaints was not associated with social factors, while the use of orthodontic appliances was significantly related to social determinants. Children from rural areas were 2.44 times less likely of wearing orthodontic appliances than those living in cities, and children from families with low affluence were 2.33 times less likely of wearing orthodontic appliances than children from high-affluence families.

Conclusion: There is a considerable variation and high social inequalities in need of orthodontic treatment among schoolchildren across different municipalities in Lithuania.