Orthodontic treatment in a First Nations population of Alberta, Canada: A comparative study

The primary objective of this paper was to determine if there was a significant difference in the degree of improvement due to orthodontic treatment between a sample of the First Nations orthodontic patients and a control sample of non-First Nations orthodontic patients. The secondary objectives were to determine if there was a difference in the severity of malocclusions being treated in a sample of the First Nations population compared to a control sample of the non-First Nations population and to determine if there are any significant differences in treatment outcome between these two samples. Several factors that may effect treatment outcome such as missed appointments, treatment duration, oral hygiene, extractions, dental classification and geographical location were studied.; A sample of sixty First Nations patients and a control group of sixty non-First Nations between who had treatment with full fixed orthodontic appliances and were between the age of 11 and 18 years were evaluated. The weighted Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) Index was applied to pre-treatment and post-treatment study models in order to address the studies main objectives.; The results showed higher pre-treatment and improvement in weighted PAR scores in the First Nations population. Post-treatment PAR scores were similar between the two groups. The study group had significantly more missed appointments and negative comments on poor oral hygiene than the control group.