Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP): a health survey in an East German region. Objectives and design of the oral health section.

The goal of the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) was to estimate the prevalence of diseases, identify potential risk factors in a defined region in northeast Germany, and examine the particular living situation of this population after the reunification of East and West Germany. One of the main concerns of the SHIP design is the analysis of the relationships between dental, medical, social, and environmentally and behaviorally determined health factors. SHIP is a cross-sectional study (clinical findings and sociologic interviews). The sample was drawn in two steps: Thirty-two communities in the region were selected, and within these communities, a simple random sample was drawn from residence registries, stratified by gender and age. The final sample included 4,310 males and females, aged 20 to 79 years. This is equivalent to a participation rate of 68.8%. Data collection was completed in May 2001. The data collection and items comprised four parts: oral health examination, medical examination, health-related interview, and a health- and risk-factor-related questionnaire. The oral health examination included the teeth, periodontium, oral mucosa, morphology and function of the craniomandibular system, and prosthodontics. The medical examination included blood pressure measurements; electrocardiography; echocardiography; carotid, thyroid, and liver ultrasound examinations; neurologic screening; and blood and urine sampling. The computer-assisted interview consisted of questions on symptoms of disease, utilization of medical and dental services, self-assessment of general and oral health, health behavior and knowledge, and socioeconomic variables. The self-administered questionnaire comprised housing conditions, social network, work conditions, subjective well-being, and individual consequences of the German reunification.

Prevalence of defined symptoms of malocclusion among probands enrolled in the Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP) in the age group from 20 to 49 years.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: SHIP is a complexly structured, population-based cross-sectional study of adults in the German region of Pomerania (age group covered: 20-79 years). Findings in a population subgroup (age group 20-49 years; n = 1777; 53.1% women; 46.9% men) were subjected to orthodontic evaluation. Graduated registration of anterior crowding, overjet, frontal overbite and sagittal intermaxillary relationship of the posterior teeth; registration of ectopic canines, posterior crowding, anterior and posterior crossbite, negative overjet, retroclination of the upper incisors, buccal nonocclusion, and lateral open bite. The prevalence of almost regular dentition and of symptoms of malocclusion as well as the frequency of orthodontic treatment (subjective patient data) undergone by men and women were recorded. The correlation between the registered symptoms of malocclusion was calculated. RESULTS: 92.2% of the subjects had symptoms of malocclusion varying in number and severity. An anatomically correct dentition was found in only 7.8% of cases, and an "almost regular dentition" (inclusion criteria defined) in 14.2%. 32.8% of the subjects had severe malocclusion (inclusion criteria defined). The most frequent symptoms were anterior crowding, increased overjet, and distoclusion. These symptoms were significantly more frequent in women, while spacing and edge-to-edge bite, excessive overbite and mesioclusion were more frequent in men. 26.7% of the probands (28.0% women, 25.3% men) reported having received orthodontic treatment. The prevalence of craniofacial malformations (cleft lip and palate, syndromes) was 0.09% in women and 0.2% in men. Increased overjet was most frequently correlated with other symptoms of malocclusion.