A Clinical Guide to Classifying Malocclusions: Discussion of Various Classification Systems of Malocclusion

Malocclusion is regarded as a deviation from the normal occlusion. Classifying a given case of malocclusion is an essential prerequisite for diagnosis, treatment planning and to assess the effects of orthodontic therapy. Classification of malocclusion is also helpful in determining prevalence or severity of malocclusion in a community. Although numerous attempts were made throughout the nineteenth century to classify malocclusions, it was not until the end of that century that a widely accepted classification came into existence. Publication of the landmark article, ?The Classification of Malocclusion? by Edward H Angle in the Dental Cosmos, 1899 heralded the evolution of Modern Orthodontics. Various classification systems of malocclusion including Angle's classification and its modifications by Dewey and Lischer, Simon's classification, Ackerman- Profit classification, Ballard's classification, Bennett's classification, WHO and etiological classification methods are described in this book using numerous clinical photographs, illustrations, tables and flow charts.