Inter- and intraexaminer variability in assessment of orthodontic treatment need.

Two examiners assessed subjectively the orthodontic treatment need of a group of 183 10-year-old children. The examiners did not standardize the criteria establishing treatment need. Intraexaminer agreement was reached in 79.8% of the cases. Intraexaminer agreement was 91.7% for Examiner A and 93.4% of Examiner B. The paper highlights the subjective element in deciding orthodontic treatment need.