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Abstract
Background/Objectives Odontogenesis is a complex process involving interactions between odontogenic and ecto-mesenchymal cells, mediated by growth factors and signaling pathways. Disruptions in these pathways lead to various dental anomalies. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and patterns of non-syndromic hypodontia among the Nepalese population. Methods A total of 5,075 panoramic radiographs taken between 2012 and 2020 were retrospectively reviewed. The mean age of the study subjects was 20.17 ± 5.51 years (range: 8 to 40 age), comprising 1,805 males (35.56%) and 3,270 females (64.43%). Hypodontia was diagnosed based on the absence of crown calcification of permanent teeth. Prevalence, distribution, and symmetry of hypodontia were assessed, with categorical associations analyzed using the Chi-square test (p<0.05). Results The study analyzed 5,075 panoramic radiographs, consisting of 1,805 males (35.56%) and 3,270 females (64.43%). Hypodontia was identified in 400 subjects, 200 males (50%) and 200 females (50%), representing 7.88% of the population. A total of 655 missing teeth were recorded, 45.8% in females and 54.2% in males. Despite an equal number of affected males and females, a statistically significant association was found between gender and overall hypodontia prevalence in the sample (p < 0.05), with males showing a higher likelihood of being affected. Maxillary lateral incisors were the most affected (47.33%), followed by mandibular second premolars (19.08%) and maxillary first premolars (17.56%). The maxillary arch had a significantly higher prevalence of hypodontia than the mandibular arch (p < 0.05). Unilateral hypodontia was more prevalent than bilateral hypodontia (p < 0.05). The most common associated dental anomalies were rotated adjacent teeth and retained deciduous teeth, but they were not statistically significant (p> 0.05). Conclusion The prevalence of hypodontia among the Nepalese population was 7.8%. The findings of this study align with global trends, particularly the higher frequency of hypodontia in the maxillary lateral incisors.
Highlights
Odontogenesis, or tooth development, is an intricate process encompassing a series of sequential and reciprocal interactions between odontogenic and ecto-mesenchymal cells derived from the stomadeal epithelium and cranial neural crest cells, respectively [1]
A Chi-square test was carried out to assess the association between gender and the prevalence of hypodontia in the total population
Consistent with the meta-analyses conducted by Polder et al [13], the present study demonstrated a higher prevalence of unilateral hypodontia compared to its bilateral counterpart
Summary
Odontogenesis, or tooth development, is an intricate process encompassing a series of sequential and reciprocal interactions between odontogenic and ecto-mesenchymal cells derived from the stomadeal epithelium and cranial neural crest cells, respectively [1]. These interactions are intermediated by growth and transcription factors, signal receptors, and numerous soluble morphogens [2]. Tooth agenesis (TA) is one of the prevalent developmental anomalies impacting human dentition. It is defined as the developmental absence of one or more teeth from the ‘normal’ set of human dentition, typically excluding permanent third molars. The number of developmentally absent teeth further classifies TA into three distinct types: hypodontia (absence of 1–5 teeth), oligodontia (absence of more than 6 teeth), and anodontia (agenesis of all teeth) [5]
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