[Clinical evaluation of the occlusion of young Senegalese]

The dental occlusion is a basic phase of mastication moreover it is an everlasting concern for the dentist during therapeutic and prevention of dento-maxillo-facial disorders. Senegal is a country of recent dental practice and dental problems are frequent in it. We led this clinical assessment of occlusion on a sample of 30 young Senegalese people aged 18 to 35 years and we tried to evaluate the consequential effects on teeth and periodontal tissues with intent to use this study as pattern of prevalence evaluation of occlusion disorders. Taken at random in the consultation at the Institute of Odontology and Stomatology, these people have been selected by excluding any obvious cause of occlusal disorders. 76.67% of our sample are students and the average patient of the study is à 24 years man, wolof, student dwelling in Dakar. He has an avoid face, is in normocclusion or prognathia and presents a tooth affection which can be related to malocclusion and defective hygiene. 67% of examined teeth are in contact during maximal occlusion and 33% are in entire lack of posterior contact during protrusion meanwhile 73 to 80% present group function. In 70% of studied cases, the superficial periodontium is affected and 30% representing the deep periodontium, are quite safe. This word is a first attempt of prevalence evaluation. It has to be led in multicentric study and at a larger scale in order to have more exact sight of young Senegalese occlusal disorders.