Comparison of Frequency of Congenitally Missing Upper Lateral Incisors among Skeletal Class I, II and III Malocclusions.

AIM: The present investigation aims to find out the frequency of congenitally missing upper lateral incisors among skeletal class I, II, and III malocclusions and to find out its variability among different genders.

MATERIALS AND

METHODS

The study sample included orthopantomograms (OPGs) and a lateral cephalogram of 1,000 patients retrieved from previous records. Of the selected samples, 290 were males and 710 were females. Orthopantomograms helped diagnose the presence of unilateral/bilateral maxillary lateral incisors. Results and statistics: Of the 1,000 samples, 710 (71%) were female and 290 (29%) were male patients. An estimated 37 (3.77%) patients were found to have missing maxillary lateral incisors. Of the female patients, 4.04% were having missing laterals, whereas 3.10% of the male patients were having agenesis of maxillary incisors. Totally, 0.9% of missing upper laterals were recorded in males, whereas 2.8% of missing lateral incisors in upper arch were found in females. A total of 54.16% of skeletal class I, 33.33% of skeletal class II, and 12.5% of skeletal class III cases were found to have missing upper lateral incisors.

CONCLUSION

The prevalence rate for congenitally missing upper lateral incisors in orthodontic adolescent Odia population in Bhubaneswar is 3.77%. The females had a greater percentage of agenesis of the upper lateral incisor when compared to males. An estimated 54.16% of skeletal class I, 33.33% of skeletal class II, and 12.5% of skeletal class III cases were found to have missing upper lateral incisors. This difference might be due to genetic variations or different environmental conditions. A multidisciplinary treatment protocol must be planned to manage the missing maxillary lateral incisor and to restore the impaired esthetics and function.