[Trends of the patients with malocclusion on dental clinic of pediatric dentistry]

The factors which determine the situation of continuation in malocclusion treatment and characteristic of patient with malocclusion in pediatric dentistry were estimated from the status and the trend of patients undergoing denture guidance at the outpatient clinic for pediatric dentistry. The following results were obtained. 1. Among the patients undergoing denture guidance, a majority were females. Among the different types of malocclusion, the reversed occlusion was the most frequent, being 54.3% among all malocclusions. 2. In particular the age for first visit was from under 3 years of age with reversed occlusion, and at this age, females were more numerous than males. 3. The first examination for denture guidance was related to the time which made effective diagnosis possible, and the patients with reversed occlusion had their first examinations consistently from 3 years of age, and the patients with crowding had their first examinations from 6 years of age to 11 years of age. 4. From the difference between the age of first visit and first examination, it was shown that the patients with reversed occlusion did not have their first examination under 3 years of age and for the patients with crowding who visited first at 3, 4 and 5 years of age, the first examination was performed after 6 years of age. The patients with crowding in the group who came for consultation by reference were later about two years compared with other two groups in the difference of motivation for visiting. 5. It is suggested that the factors which had an influence upon the situation of continuation of malocclusion treatment were; an existence of the use of an appliance, a substantial program of correspondence in regard to dental care for malocclusion before malocclusion treatment and concrete indication of the treatment.