Objectives: The aim of the present study was to radiographically evaluate the pattern of third molar impaction in a sample of Libyan patients, in terms of age, gender, angulation of impaction, level of eruption and available retromolar space using panoramic radiographs. Furthermore, cross tabulation between patterns of impaction and gendernarch were evaluated for any significant difference. Study design: This retrospective study comprised 300 orthopantomograms (OPGs) of patients attending a private dental clinic in Benghazi between 2008 and 2013. Radiographic assessment was carried out to evaluate the prevalence of impaction, angular position of impaction, level of eruption and available retromolar space. Results were analysed using Pearson's coefficient test and Student's t-test Results: Among 1200 third molars reviewed, 843 (70%) were classified as impacted, of which 371 (44%) were in the maxilla and 472 (56%) were in the mandible. The most prevalent angular position was mesioangular (34.6%) followed by vertical (31.3%) and distoangular (27.7%). A significant association existed between angular position and arch (P < 0.001).Class IIA was the most common Pell and Gregory classification (38.6%). Significant association was found between the level of eruption and arch (P < 0.001). Bilateral impaction was more common than unilateral impaction in both arches. Conclusion: Our study highlights mesioangular impaction as the most frequently encountered angular position. The most common level of eruption was Level B; and the majority of impacted third molars (72.7%) had less than adequate space for eruption. ª 2015 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of King Saud University. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Objective:This study aimed to explore the prevalence of malocclusion and its distribution among 12-17 year old Urban Libyan schoolchildren.Materials and Methods:A total of 900 subjects were examined, of which 343 fulfilled the inclusion criteria; 169 males and 174 females. Molar relationship, overjet (OJ), overbite (OB), midline deviation, crossbite, and crowding/spacing were recorded. Sexual dimorphism was explored using descriptive statistics and the Chi-square tests.Results:The prevalence of malocclusion was 95.6%. Class I, Class II division 1, Class II division 2 and Class III malocclusions comprised 66.5%, 21.9%, 3.5%, and 3.7% respectively of the total sample. The OJ percentage of 51% (zero-3.5 mm), 48.4% (>3.5 mm), 0.6% (≤−3.5 mm to >zero) was recorded, with no significant sex differences (P=0.225). A normal overbite, increased and open bites were observed in 39.9%, 55.1%, and 2.3% of the group respectively with no sexual dimorphism (P=0.970). Crossbite was present in 13.1% of the group, with no significant sex difference (P=0.469). Crowding in the maxillary and mandibular arches were observed in13.9%, and 12.2% respectively. Spacing occurred in 9.4% and 7.9% of the examined maxillary and mandibular arches respectively, with no significant sex difference regarding the presence of spacing/crowding in the maxillary arch (P>0.05). Males, however, had significantly more spacing and less crowding in the mandibular arch (P<0.05).Conclusions:The prevalence of malocclusion in Libyan schoolchildren is among the highest reported in the literature. Crowding is among the least reported manifestations of malocclusion.

This prospective cross-sectional, case-controlled morphometric study investigated three-dimensional facial morphological variation among and between 8- and 12-year-old children [40 with a unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP), 23 with a unilateral cleft lip and alveolus (UCLA), 19 with a bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP), and 21 with an isolated cleft palate (ICP)]. Eighty gender- and age-matched individuals comprised the control group. The mean shape of each group was computed using generalized Procrustes analysis (GPA). Differences in shape between group means were assessed using multivariate analysis of variance and permutation tests, and shape differences were visualized for interpretation using warpings of the grand mean shape and transformation grids computed using thin plate splines (TPA). Statistically significant differences between the mean facial shapes and forms (shape plus size) of all groups were found. The greatest difference was in the BCLP group and the second greatest in the UCLP group. The study of asymmetry indicated different degrees and differences in the nature of asymmetry that characterize different cleft lip and palate (CLP) deformities. Principal component analyses (PCA) of form space and of means, plus reflected means, were informative with respect to the differences in facial size and shape and asymmetry between these groups. The results highlight differences in the aetiology of ICP and CLP groups and underline the potential value of statistical shape analysis in assessing the outcomes of CLP treatment.