An epidemiologic survey of malocclusions among American Negroes and American Hispanics.

The malocclusions of thirty-six Negro and fifty-six Puerto Rican orthodontic patients from a specific area were surveyed. The population was divided according to sex, age, and skeletal classification. The total Negro malocclusion sample was compared to available Negro norms for both Downs and Steiner analyses. The total Hispanic malocclusion group was compared to available Negro and Caucasian norms for the same analyses. Ranges, means, and standard deviations were developed for each measurement recorded. The comparative frequency of individual skeletal classifications was found to be remarkably similar in both groups, and the percentage of open-bites was greater in both groups than in the general population. The need to expand available material to include a Puerto Rican group is noted.