More than half of children and young people in Saxony receive orthodontic treatment. This is confirmed by an analysis in the current BARMER dental report. According to the report, 50.5 percent of young people in the state received such treatment at the expense of the health insurance company (federal government: 54.7 percent).
“If you look at the genders, there are significantly more girls than boys among those wearing braces. In addition, there are sometimes clear regional differences in care,” says Monika Welfens, regional manager of BARMER in Saxony, referring to the study in which, for the first time, data from eight-year-olds was evaluated over a period of ten years, i.e. up to the age of 17.
“For health care research, it is important to know the exact proportion of adolescents undergoing orthodontic treatment. This is the only way we can gain insight into the treatment needs in individual regions,” says the BARMER regional director. Tooth and jaw misalignments are very individual. If malformations lead to significant limitations in chewing, biting, breathing or speaking, orthodontic treatment is necessary.
More girls than boys get braces
When comparing orthodontic treatment rates, it is noticeable that girls are treated more frequently than boys. Nationwide, girls have rates that are around ten percentage points higher than boys. In Saxony, the average treatment rate for girls is around 56.5 percent and for boys 46.4 percent.
“Our analysis suggests that girls are more likely to be treated with orthodontics. Beauty ideals, peer pressure and parental care are possible reasons why they are more likely to ask about and treat tooth and jaw misalignments than boys. While tooth misalignment may be dismissed as ‘cool’ in adolescent boys, girls may be more affected by it,” suspects Monika Welfens.
However, it is not a good signal if a certain pressure of expectations is placed on girls and young women. Further research into the reasons for the higher demand among girls is therefore necessary.
Regional differences: Northern Saxony with the highest treatment rates
The analysis in the dental report shows that the use of orthodontic treatment varies within Saxony. The highest rates are in the Vogtland district (54.5 percent) and North Saxony (53.2 percent), and the lowest in Chemnitz and Erzgebirgskreis (around 49 percent).
“In all regions of the Free State, however, about every second adolescent receives orthodontic treatment,” says Monika Welfens. This is also an indication that access to orthodontics in Saxony is satisfactory overall. The analysis also shows that parts of the orthodontic care are also provided by general dental practices.
Nationwide, this proportion is 13 percent, but in Saxony it is significantly higher at 18.1 percent. “In very rural regions, access to orthodontics is sometimes more difficult, so the treatment is provided by a dentist,” says the BARMER health insurance chief.
Only every second toddler was presented to a dentist
In addition to orthodontic care, the analysis in the dental report also looks at the dental care of adolescents as a whole. According to the report, preventive services were most frequently used between the ages of 10 and 14.
“However, we are seeing declining numbers in this age group across Saxony. While around 79 percent of 10- to 14-year-olds visited the dentist regularly in 2013, this proportion fell to just under 73 percent in 2022. Among five- to nine-year-olds, the rate was relatively constant at around 67 percent,” says Welfens.
The evaluations also showed that in Saxony, more and more parents were taking their children to a dentist by the time they reached their fourth birthday (around 41 percent). However, there is still room for improvement here. More than half of all young children have not been to a dentist’s office for early detection examinations.
“There is still too little preventive care, especially in early childhood. Prevention is important in order to detect and treat dental and jaw diseases at an early stage. Ideally, a visit to the dentist should become routine when the first milk tooth comes through,” says the BARMER regional director. She advises parents to take their children to regular early detection dental examinations.
