Objective To explore the application effect of early prevention and early correction in the treatment of malocclusion in children. Methods A total of 60 children with malocclusion admitted to our hospital from January 2022 to January 2023 were randomly divided into control group and study group, with 30 children in each group. The control group received routine corrective treatment intervention, and the study group received early prevention and early correction. The dental correction time, clinical efficacy, treatment satisfaction and quality of life were compared between the two groups. Results The turning time of the transposition teeth and the righting time of the inclined teeth in the study group were shorter than those in the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P <0.05). The total effective rate of treatment in the study group was 100.00%, which was higher than 70.00% in the control group, the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05). The treatment satisfaction of the study group was 100.00%, which was higher than 70.00% of the control group, and the difference was statistically significant (P <0.05). The scores of all dimensions of quality of life in the study group were higher than those in the control group, and the difference were statistically significant (P <0.05). Conclusion Early prevention and correction of malocclusion in children can not only effectively improve the malocclusion of children, but also optimize their oral health status. The overall treatment effect is ideal and the clinical application value is high.