Summary
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of dentomaxillary anomalies and the need for orthodontic treatment in schoolchildren belonging to the Rapa Nui native people. A descriptive, observational, cross-sectional and non-probabilistic study was carried out. Eighty-five students between first grade and first middle school, between 6 and 16 years of age, from two schools of Rapa Nui were evaluated. A standardized clinical examination was performed by two previously calibrated investigators, where a clinical record designed for the study was completed. For the analysis of dentomaxillary anomalies, a digital scan of the full mouth was performed for subsequent analysis. Of 85 students evaluated, 75 (88.2 %) were affected by some type of dentomaxillary anomaly in the sagittal, vertical and/or transversal plane, regardless of its severity. Some 87.1 % of the students needed orthodontic treatment according to the Orthodontic Treatment Need Index, of which 57.7 % were classified within the moderate, severe and very severe ranges. There is a high prevalence of dentomaxillary anomalies in schoolchildren belonging to the Rapa Nui native people, which is above the national and international figures, resulting in the majority of the students evaluated needing some type of orthodontic treatment, whether preventive, interceptive and/or corrective.
KEY WORDS: indigenous peoples, malocclusion, orthodontic treatment need index.
How to cite this article
VÉJAR-VÉJAR N.; GÓMEZ-PASTENE, F. & VÁSQUEZ-HUERTA, A. Prevalence of Dentomaxillary Anomalies and Need for Orthodontic Treatment in School Children of the Rapa Nui Native People. Int. J. Odontostomat.,17(3):229-235, 2023.
