EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY OF MALOCCLUSIONS IN SCHOOLCHILDREN BETWEEN 6 AND 14 YEARS OLD FROM GORJ COUNTY, ROMANIA

The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of malocclusions in a group of schoolchildren from both urban and rural areas of Gorj County, Romania The study included 1007 schoolchildren aged between 6 and 14 years old, who were enrolled in randomly selected public schools from Gorj County. The data were collected from December 2019 to February 2020, based on the project "Educafie pentru sanatate orala. Cercetari privind anomaliile dento-maxilare si leziunile odonto-parodontale la scolarii din Oltenia", in which several institutions were involved. The study was interrupted before it was completed due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. In data collection and centralization we used: Angle's classification of malocclusions and the distribution of malocclusions according to gender, age groups and origin. We obtained a prevalence of 35.35% for malocclusions. Of the total number of schoolchildren with malocclusions, the highest prevalence was recorded for those included in Angle's class I (60.37% for males and 65.63% for females). We found the highest prevalence of malocclusions in female gender (36.64%). Regarding the origin, there is a higher prevalence of malocclusions in urban areas (37.86%). Due to the strong impact of malocclusions on the quality of life, it is necessary to apply preventive measures to avoid psychological implications.