Malocclusion in patients presenting for orthodontic treatment.

The Angle and Steiner classifications are used extensively in orthodontics. The prevalence of malocclusions in Caucasian patients living in the Western Cape was determined using both classifications and the degree of concordance of the data thus obtained was ascertained. A high prevalence of Angle Class I and II was found. No statistically significant differences could be demonstrated between the data obtained from the two systems although there were discrepancies. The implications of the findings are discussed and it is concluded that each classification system used on its own does not provide enough information for accurate diagnostic and treatment planning purposes.