Occlusal/dental anomalies found in a random sample of Nigerian schoolchildren

The aim of this study was to assess the occlusal/dental anomalies needing early treatment for maximal occlusal development among 11-12-year-olds in Ibadan, Nigeria.

An epidemiological survey of 361 school students, 171 (47.4%) males and 190 (52.6%) females, was carried out in Ibadan, Nigeria. Subjects were randomly selected from different schools in the city. One examiner, under natural illumination in the school premises, examined all the children.

Prolonged retention of primary teeth with displacement of the permanent series was observed in 4.2% while dental anterior cross bite accounted for 5.5%. Oral habits with their deleterious effects on the occlusion were noted in 5.0%. Other findings were: clinically missing permanent teeth, 3.6%; supernumerary teeth, 1.4%; double teeth, 1.9%; carious lesions, 6.9%; conically shaped lateral incisors, 1.4%; and transposition, 0.6%. Proclination of the upper incisors with increased overjets of more than 5mm, as well as some fractures of the incisors, accounted for 22.4%. In all, 51.8% had one form of occlusal/dental need or another. No statistically significant gender differences were observed for all the various needs (p > 0.05) except the prevalence of supernumerary teeth, which was statistically higher in males (p < 0.05).

Over half of the children could benefit from one interceptive need or the other for proper occlusal development. Routine dental check ups are very much encouraged in developing countries like Nigeria, as in other developed parts of the world.