Saarland: Girls get more braces - is that justified?

Saarland: Girls get more braces - is that justified?

In a current analysis that was presented in the Barmer dental report, there is a lot of indication that girls in Saarland may be subject to orthodontic treatments. According to the study results made by scientists from the Technical University of Dresden, impressive 58.9 percent of girls between the ages of eight and 17 receive such therapy. In comparison, it is only 48.4 percent of the boys of the same age. This raises questions that go far beyond the medical field.

Dunja Kleis, the state manager of the Barmer in Rhineland-Palatinate and in Saarland, emphasizes that social beauty ideals and group printing should be considered as possible factors. "A small tooth misalignment in boys may be dismissed more often than cool, while they may be more stressful," she explains. According to Kleis, a significant difference in the treatment rate between the sexes cannot be justified with a higher medical need for girls.

regional differences in the focus

The analysis also shows clear regional differences in the use of orthodontic services. In Saarland, the proportion of eight to 17 year olds who receive treatment is 53.7 percent. In comparison, the lowest share in Bremen with 45.9 percent and the highest in Bavaria is 59.7 percent. The figures are varied within the Saarland: In the Saarpfalz district, the treatment rate is highest at 55.0 percent, while the district of Merzig-Wadern is lowest with 52.1 percent.

These considerable differences raise questions, since they cannot be explained solely by the presence of pine anomalies or tooth misalignment. "The sometimes large regional differences in the extent of the orthodontic treatment of children and adolescents do not open up any spontaneous explanation," continued Kleis. Even in economically strong regions, the differences in access to orthodontic care are striking.

The dental report also shows that access to orthodontic care for children and adolescents is generally satisfactory, but is not equally well guaranteed in all federal states. In 2022 there were 2.2 specialists in Saarland 10,000 children and adolescents, while Hamburg and Hesse each had the nationwide maximum values with 3.1 specialists. At the other end of the spectrum, Saxony-Anhalt and Bremen are only 1.8 specialists.

Kleis emphasizes the importance of a sufficient density of orthodontic practices: "The dental report proves that with a regionally lower dense orthodontic focus practices, regional access disadvantages for supply by practices are at least partially balanced without such a focus." The optimal orthodontic care not only has medical advantages, but also makes a decisive contribution to the quality of life of those affected.

In addition, it is pointed out that timely orthodontic treatment can avoid later, possibly invasive dental or surgical interventions. This underlines the importance of general care in this context and the need to improve access to orthodontic treatment in the future.

For more information on this topic, see the report on localo.de .