Occlusal status among Yemeni children

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the occlusal status in schoolchildren in Yemen, and to compare the results with those of other studies. Materials and Methods: The sample for this epidemiological survey consisted of 3003 primary school students, half of whom were boys and the other half girls, aged 12 years. The subjects were randomly selected, and none had received previous orthodontic treatment. Variables examined included intra-arch irregularities and malalignment (crowding and spacing in the incisal segments of the arch and midline diastema) and discrepancies in occlusal contact relationship (maxillary overjet, mandibular overjet, anterior openbite and antero-posterior molar relation). Results: The results showed that about 26.1% of the subjects were still in the late mixed dentition stage and 73.9% presented with a dentition in the early permanent stage. Normal overjet was found in 55% of the sample. Crowding was observed in 31.4% of the subjects and midline diastema in 14.2%. Conclusion: Occlusal status among Yemeni children was characterized by a relatively high frequency of dental crowding, as well as a relatively high frequency of anterior mandibular overjet (Class III malocclusions).