The occlusal status of an urban and a rural Venda group.

The occlusal status of Venda school children of the town of Thohoyandou, and of a rural community in the Tshikundamalema district was determined. This comparison made it possible to eliminate racial differences as a contributing factor to malocclusions. The occlusal index of Summers was used to determine the occlusal status of 342 subjects. Positive O.I. scores were obtained for 78.9 per cent of the subjects. Twenty-eight per cent of the children required orthodontic treatment and 12 per cent treatment of a specialised nature with fixed appliances. Syndrome D (tooth displacement) occurred in 42 per cent of those requiring treatment. Class I molar relationships were seen in 96.8 per cent. The difference in positive O.I. scores between urban and rural children was highly significant (p < 0.01). The mean O.I. scores also differed significantly (p < 0.05) between the two communities. A highly significant difference (p = 0.0002) in orthodontic treatment needs was also demonstrated between urban and rural children. This study shows that environmental factors and extraction of teeth in areas where a comprehensive dental service is not available could contribute to malocclusion.