Revised criteria for the assessment and interpretation of occlusal deviations in the deciduous dentition: a public health perspective

Abstract

Secondary data from a randomized sample of Brazilian preschool children were analyzed to evaluate the prevalence of occlusal deviations in the deciduous dentition that can adversely affect the permanent dentition, using revised criteria. Overjet and overbite used cut-off points described in the literature to exclude mild malocclusion cases. Overjet > 3mm and overbite > 3mm were present in 16% and 7% of the children, respectively IntroductionOcclusal traits in the deciduous dentition 1,2,3,4,5,6 and the characteristics that adversely affect the permanent dentition and result in malocclusion 5,7,8,9,10,11,12,13 have been investigated. Foster & Hamilton 2 reported the wide variety of occlusal conditions in the deciduous dentition, which appears to indicate that these are not fixed but flexible attributes 14 whose aspects should be considered in epidemiological investigations.Despite high malocclusion prevalence described in recent studies conducted in both developed and developing countries 7,8,9 , nearly all have monotonously repeated the existence of a wide variation in prevalence values (~5% to ~85%), depending on the interpretation of what constitutes malocclusion.Part of this variation during the early stages of occlusal development cannot be attributed solely to interaction between genetic background and environmental factors acting during growth and development of the dental occlusion 15,16,17,18,19 , but is due to differences in the criteria for interpreting relevant occlusal deviations 11,20 .Although such criteria are necessarily arbitrary to some extent, they can provide a meaningful basis for recording methods, which can in turn be applied to comparative epidemiological studies in different populations and to the investigation of interrelationships between the various traits 20 .

Prevalence of malocclusion in primary dentition in mainland China, 1988–2017: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Likewise, crossbite warrants increased early check-ups and treatment to decrease the long-term effects on growth and development. Relative to the reported prevalence of increased overjet in the primary dentition in different countries, which ranges from 3% to 16% 30 , 31 , the prevalence rate in the present study was moderate, at 10.16%. Because increased overjet was alleviated during the transition from primary to permanent dentition, it was not a precise indicator of a similar increase in the permanent dentition.…”

Prevalence of Malocclusion in 3- to 5-Year-Old Children in Shanghai, China

“…These results were similar to those reported in previous studies [7,23,24,25]. The prevalence of deep overbite was high in deciduous dentition and increased to the late mixed dentition, which may be explained by the common use of extraction of deciduous molars, a procedure that will usually result in collapsed dentition.…”

Malocclusion and socioeconomic indicators in primary dentition

“…3,4 Anterior open bite was the second most frequent type of malocclusion and is generally one of the most frequently diagnosed conditions in this age group (3-5 years), with prevalence rates ranging from 6.0% to 27.9%. 1,19,21,23 Anterior open bite has been reported to be associated with nonnutritive sucking habits, common in this phase of life. 6,7,16,21,24 These habits may be related to cultural and economic differences across populations, 7,25 which may influence the variability in results.…”

“…Epidemiological studies on malocclusion are important in identifying occlusal changes during growth and in determining the distribution of oral health conditions in a population. 1,10 Moreover, malocclusion can exert an impact on a child's quality of life. 3,11 Considering the scarcity of such investigations, the aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of malocclusion and associations with socioeconomic indicators among preschoolers in Brazil.…”

“…1,2 Increased overjet, deep overbite, lateral crossbite and anterior open bite are the most common types of malocclusion in the primary dentition. 3 Some malocclusions that arise at 3 years of age may improve over subsequent years (open bite), whereas others may worsen (distoclusion, lateral crossbite and unfavorable vertical occlusal conditions).…”