Maxillary palatal canine impaction displacement in subjects with congenitally missing maxillary lateral incisors.

INTRODUCTION

The aims of this research were to study the prevalence of palatally displaced maxillary canines (PDCs) in subjects with congenitally missing maxillary lateral incisor (MxI2) teeth and to assess the dental and occlusal features associated with this displacement in these subjects.

METHODS

The material for this study consisted of the pretreatment orthodontic casts of 246 subjects (78 male, 168 female) with missing MxI2 teeth. These were divided into 2 groups: subjects with PDC (displacement group) and subjects with no PDC (nondisplacement group). A nondisplacement comparison group was selected by matching the displacement group according to age, sex, type of malocclusion, and unilateral or bilateral absence of the MxI2 teeth.

RESULTS

Of 246 subjects, 31 (12.6%) were found to have PDC. Sex distribution and type of congenital absence of MxI2 teeth were not different in the displacement and the nondisplacement groups. There was no significant difference between the dental and occlusal features in the displacement and the comparison groups.

CONCLUSIONS

There was a strong association between PDC and missing MxI2; this supports the guidance theory. In subjects with MxI2 agenesis, no other dental or occlusal features were found to play a role in PDC.