Direct versus indirect bonding for bracket placement in orthodontic patients

Orthodontic treatment is primarily concerned with correcting crowded, rotated, buried and/or prominent front teeth. The epidemiology of the need for orthodontic treatment varies around the world. It has been determined that 17%of 8 to 11 year old children in the USA and 34% of 9 to 12 year old Brazilian school children have a "high need" for orthodontic treatment (Christopherson 2009; Dias 2009). Studies also indicate that, in the Middle East, 34% of children (12 to 14 years) and 29.2% of young adults (21 to 25 years) are categorised as having a "need" for orthodontic treatment (Alhaija 2004; Hassan 2010). In Europe, it is reported that 26.2% of German children in the mixed dentition stage and approximately 20% of Spanish children have a "need" for orthodontic treatment (Tausche 2004; Manzanera 2009). In the Far East, 35% of children in Thailand (11 to 12 years) were assessed as requiring orthodontic treatment (Gherunpong 2006). When exploring the influence of ethnic origin, one study noted that 39.5% of Swedish natives and 32.7% of Asian immigrants required orthodontic treatment (Josefsson 2007).