Assessment of orthodontic treatment needs of Iraqi Kurdish teenagers using the Dental Aesthetic Index

This oral health survey aimed to determine the orthodontic treatment needs of teenagers in Sulaimaniya, Iraq. A clinical examination was made of a random sample of 998 Kurdish schoolchildren aged 13 years. Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI) scores ranged from 13 to 65, with a mean of 25.4 (SD 9.2). From these scores, treatment needs were assessed as: no or slight need 58.6%, elective 18.5%, highly desirable 12.5% and mandatory (handicapping malocclusion) 10.3%. Highly desirable or mandatory treatment need (DAI ≥ 31) was found in equal proportions of males (23.2%) and females (22.6%), but in more rural (25.1%) than urban (20.6%) residents.