Malocclusion, dental injuries and dental anomalies in the primary dentition of Belgian children.

AIM: To estimate the prevalence of malocclusion, dental injuries and dental anomalies in a sample of 3-5-year-old Belgian children.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study of 3-5-year-olds attending kindergartens in the municipality of Leuven, Belgium.

METHODS

A total of 750 boys and girls participated in the study. The children were examined at the University School Health Centre in connection with their obligatory medical check-up. The clinical examination was performed by one examiner using generally accepted criteria for these oral conditions.

RESULTS

10.1% of the examined children had posterior cross-bite whereas over-bite was seen in only 2.0% of the sample. Open-bite was detected in 32.0% of the studied population. Boys showed a tendency for a higher frequency of malocclusions than girls. Traumatic injuries were identified in 18.0% of children. These were almost entirely restricted to maxillary incisors. Crown fractures were responsible for 42% of all injuries. The following dental anomalies were seen: six cases of supernumerary teeth, three cases of hypodontia, five cases of double teeth and one case of conical maxillary lateral incisor.

CONCLUSION

Our findings emphasize the importance of early detection of these oral conditions in order to permit effective and long-term planning, according to the child's individual requirements.