To estimate the prevalence of malocclusions in school children of South-West Romania, related to sex, age and area of residence for obtaining an initial estimation, considering the total lack of information in the literature of the field upon this subject, either in Romania or in other South-Eastern European countries.
Method: The epidemiological study was conducted on a sample group consisting of 923 children aged 7 to 15 years, 467 females and 456 males, coming from different socio-economic backgrounds. Results: Malocclusions were present in over half of the subjects from the examined community – 57.9%. Class I malocclusion was the most frequent (64%), whereas Class III appeared as the least frequently encountered subdivision (2%). The highest percentage of malocclusion – 59.4% – was recorded in areas with low socio-economic environment.
Conclusions: Considering the high prevalence and involvement of life quality through functional and social limitations, the presence of malocclusions should be viewed as an important issue in oral health.