Assessing potential malocclusions among pre-school children of belagavi city, karnataka, using baby risk of malocclusion assessment (baby roma) index - a cross-sectional study

Abstract

It is a common notion that Orthodontic treatment is only aimed at the correction of alignment of teeth once all the permanent teeth have erupted, that is when the child is about 12-13 years of age. Most often, when people think of “Orthodontic therapy”, what is commonly thought of is “braces”. However, orthodontic treatment is not only aimed at the correction of malocclusion but also aids in the physiological development of the orofacial region if carried out/ intercepted at the right time. The presence of risk factors or the malocclusion already present in the deciduous dentition would affect permanent dentition. It is therefore more important to identify the influencing or causing factors of malocclusion in this period, so preventive or interceptive strategies can be implemented.