Background: Prevalence of malocclusion varies in different parts of a diverse country like India. To determine the prevalence of malocclusion in population of Kanpur population India, as well as subjects views regarding the most important factor for seeking orthodontic treatment by patients who have malocclusion. Materials and method: The sample consisted of 550 subjects (265 men and 285 females) with age group of 15 to 30 years. Subjects were randomly selected and none of them had received orthodontic treatment previously. The subjects who showed bilateral Angle’s class I molar relationship with acceptable overjet, overbite and well-aligned arches or minimal crowding were considered to have normal occlusion. The subjects with malocclusion were classified into four groups according to Angle’s classification, i.e. class I, class II division 1, class II division 2 and class III malocclusions. Results: About 74.57% of population was found to have malocclusion. Among these subjects, 52.57% subjects were diagnosed with class I malocclusion, 12.57% with class II division 1 malocclusion, 8% with class II division 2 and remaining 1.42% had class III malocclusion. No statistically significant differences were found between male and female subjects. Conclusion: Among class I malocclusion characteristics, Angle’s class I type 1 malocclusion was statistically significantly found to be the most prevalent type of malocclusion. As far as the most important factor for seeking orthodontic treatment was determined, a desire of enhancing facial appearance followed by a desire of attaining straight teeth was considered to be the chief motivational factor among this population.

Kanpur, India, Malocclusion, Prevalenc