Malocclusion remains substantial

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

It has been discovered that prevalence of moderate to severe malocclusion among 12 year children and 15 year children were 12.3 percent and 10.6 percent in the world.

The situation in Sri Lanka is similar, a Health Ministry spokesman said. He said the same research found that in Sri Lanka, malocclusion oral disease burden is significantly high and the orthodontist workforce is unable to manage by treating patients.

The research was named as the National Oral Health Survey in Sri Lanka.

Orthodontist treatment is ranked from simple removable appliance to fix orthodontist treatment. One of the main limitation factors existing in the country is shortage of technical staff to carry out treatment, he said. The research was conducted by the Myofunctional Research Corporation, Australia.