“…12,13,14 The orthodontic status (prevalence of malocclusion) and treatment need of the population varies among different countries, as well as among the different age and gender groups within the respective populations. 15,16,17 Various orthodontic epidemiological studies have been conducted internationally 8,18 but there is a lack of published or recent data on the prevalence and severity of malocclusion and the orthodontic treatment need for children aged 13 to 15 years in KwaZulu-Natal. 19,20 Furthermore, very little has been done to quantify the proportion of the population that could benefit from orthodontic treatment 21,22 or identify measurement tools that could increase consistency and accuracy in the reporting methods.…”