Prevalence of delayed tooth development and its relation to tooth agenesis in Korean children.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiology of delayed tooth development (DTD) and the link between DTD and tooth agenesis (TA).

DESIGN

The dental maturity of all of the developing permanent teeth of 4611 children (2417 males and 2194 females) was evaluated from panoramic radiographs. The prevalence of DTD and TA was analyzed, and gender difference for DTS and TA was investigated. The correlation of DTD and TA was investigated in intra-fields and inter-fields.

RESULTS

The total prevalence of DTD among the 4611 children was 3.40%. The maxillary second premolar was the most frequently delayed tooth (1.02%), followed by the maxillary second molar (0.88%) and the mandibular second premolar (0.74%). DTD significantly correlated with TA in both intra-fields and inter-fields (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The field of delayed development exhibited a significant correlation with that of TA.