- Over half of teenagers are undergoing orthodontic treatment.
Growing up, braces are a frequent sight among a lot of youths, especially among those insured by the Barmer health insurance in Thuringia. About 56.5% of these minors require orthodontic treatment due to dental and jaw misalignments, as reported in the company's dental report. This is a higher percentage than in most other federal states, only surpassed by Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
The data was collected over a decade, from 2013 to 2022, using information from over 50,000 eight-year-olds across Germany, including about 1,200 from Thuringia. The analysis revealed that girls are more likely to require orthodontic treatment than boys. In Thuringia, this translates to nearly 61% of girls and 50% of boys needing treatment for crooked teeth and jaw misalignments.
Local variations
There are also variations within Thuringia itself. The city of Jena, for example, has a higher percentage of adolescents undergoing treatment, at nearly 59%, compared to around 51% in the Nordhausen district. The head of the Barmer state office, Birgit Dziuk, suggests that these discrepancies can't be solely explained by jaw abnormalities and tooth misalignments. She suspects that doctors might have differing views on the need for treatment, and there might be a connection between supply and demand.
As of data from the Dentists Association, there are 49 orthodontic practices and 53 orthodontists specializing in orthodontics in Thuringia. The cities with the most orthodontic practices are Erfurt (7), Gera (6), and Jena (4). Interestingly, the only municipality without an orthodontic practice is Sonneberg.
The Commission's implementing acts, as mentioned in the Regulation, will outline the specific application rules for this orthodontic treatment data analysis. This Regulation could potentially influence the equipment and procedures used by orthodontic practices in Thuringia.
To ensure a uniform application of the Regulation, the Commission's implementing acts should consider the variability in treatment rates across Thuringia, such as the higher percentage in Jena compared to Nordhausen.
