Need for interceptive intervention for malocclusion in 6-year-old Finnish children.

The need for interceptive intervention for malocclusion was studied in a sample of 839 Finnish children aged 6 years. The children had participated in an organized preventive orthodontic program, and nearly 10% of them had received preventive or interceptive orthodontic treatment at the age of 3-5 years (stage I of the preventive orthodontic program of the author). Orthodontic intervention was estimated to be needed for 5.9% of the children due to crossbite of the permanent central incisors, to crossbite or scissors-bite of the permanent first molars, to ectopic eruption of the permanent first molars, to numerical variation of the permanent incisors, or to functional open bite. The need for further inspection in order to follow-up development of the dentition was noted in 2.7% of the children. The indications occasioning this consideration were initial severe crowding, extreme incisal overjet, and early loss of the primary mandibular canines. The relatively low prevalence rates seemed to indicate advantageous results of the preventive and interceptive orthodontic measures.