A study of adult orthodontic patients and their treatment.

This retrospective epidemiological study was undertaken to assess factors related to adult orthodontic treatment and to identify any associated trends. Case records of all patients (676) aged 18 years or over at the start of active orthodontic treatment at the Eastman Dental Hospital, London were examined. Variables associated with patients and their treatment (age, sex, source of referral, malocclusion, type of appliance, and interdisciplinary treatment including orthognathic surgery) were studied and the data analysed statistically. Findings revealed that the number of adult patients undergoing orthodontic treatment has increased significantly, especially since 1985. The age of the patients treated was also found to increase in recent years. The percentage of female patients (72 per cent) Class III malocclusions (21.6 per cent) and Class III skeletal bases (26.2 per cent) was higher than found in studies on children. Most of the treatments required fixed appliances and over half involved interdisciplinary treatment, with an increase in the percentage of orthognathic surgical cases. Surgery was significantly more common in males (P less than 0.01) and highly significantly associated with Class III malocclusions and skeletal III bases (P less than 0.001). Twenty-five per cent of adult patients were found to have had a previous course of orthodontic treatment though these patients were not significantly different from adult patients presenting for the first course of treatment.