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

Abstract

Malocclusion is a common oral disease affecting children with various reported prevalence rates. This meta-analysis aimed to determine the epidemiological characteristics of malocclusion among pre-schoolers in mainland China from 1988 to 2017. A total of 31 qualified papers describing 51,100 Chinese children aged 2–7 years were selected. The pooled malocclusion prevalence was 45.50% (95% confidence interval (CI): 38.08–52.81%) with 26.50% Class I (CI: 19.96–33.12%), 7.97% Class II (CI: 6.06–9.87%) and 12.60% Class III (CI: 9.45–15.68%) cases. The most common type of malocclusion was overbite (33.66%, CI: 27.66–39.67%), and the flush terminal type (47.10%, CI: 28.76–65.44%) was the most common in the terminal plane relationship. An increasing trend and wide variations across the country were observed. Additionally, there was no significant difference in malocclusion by gender (relative risk (RR) = 1.01, [0.96–1.06]) or urban/rural area (RR = 0.99, [0.82–1.20]). Although this study represents a narrow view of deciduous-dentition malocclusion in mainland China, the results provide sample evidence that can aid clinicians and policy makers towards early prevention and timely treatment.

Prevalence of malocclusion in Chinese schoolchildren from 1991 to 2018: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

“…Second, this ascending trend may be interpreted by a deficiency in parental awareness of oral health and poor oral hygiene of an individual. For instance, a common and pervasive misconception among Chinese parents is that malocclusion should be corrected after an individual is 12 years of age with the presence of all permanent teeth . Third, the high prevalence of deleterious oral habits, such as tongue thrusting, thumb sucking, lip biting, and mouth breathing, might have contributed to this ascending trend of the prevalence of malocclusion in mixed dentition .…”

“…For instance, a common and pervasive misconception among Chinese parents is that malocclusion should be corrected after an individual is 12 years of age with the presence of all permanent teeth. 16 Third, the high prevalence of deleterious oral habits, such as tongue thrusting, thumb sucking, lip biting, and mouth breathing, might have contributed to this ascending trend of the prevalence of malocclusion in mixed dentition. 36,37 In addition, measures implemented by oral health services and resources in government have been insufficient in recent years, especially in developing countries such as China.…”

“…All the eligible studies were evaluated by answering ‘yes = 1/no = 0’ for each question. Therefore, the quality of the articles was divided into the following three levels: 0‐3 (poor); 4‐7 (moderate); 8‐12 (good), and studies with a minimum of eight points were included in this meta‐analysis …”

Perfil dos pacientes atendidos na clínica de odontopediatria de uma universidade privada de Curitiba, PR, Brasil

“…Na presente pesquisa o tratamento ortodôntico foi o segundo maior motivo de procura por atendimento, seguido pela cárie. A expressiva procura pelo primeiro se deve ao fato já evidenciado em pesquisas, que apontam a alta prevalência de problemas oclusais na população infantil, com valores que ultrapassam os 80% de casos 23,24,25,26 . Com referência à cárie, Antunes et al 27 (2006) citam que se trata do agravo mais prevalente na infância, considerada uma relevante fonte de dor e de desordens funcionais e estéticas, apesar de ser passível de prevenção.…”

A multilevel analysis of craniofacial growth in subjects with untreated Class III malocclusion

“…In Caucasian populations, the prevalence is relatively low (from 1.9% to 12.2%) . The highest prevalence is recorded in Southeast Asian populations (in China and in Malaysia, the prevalence is between 12.6% and 26.7%) …”