[A descriptive study of malocclusion in Malian, Cuban and Venezuelan 5-9 year-old children]

Awareness of the oral health status of a population is indispensable to correctly plan, organize, direct and supervise dental care. Its periodic evaluation allows monitoring the progress of primary dental care programs, and introducing necessary adjustments in order to accomplish dental care goals. In this context, early orthodontic intervention allows correct development of oral occlusion and prevents complications.

The purpose of this study is to study dental occlusion characteristics in Malian, Cuban, and Venezuelan children from Bamako, Mali (between 2006 and 2008), the state of Portuguesa, Venezuela (between 2011 and 2013), and Bartolome Maso in Granma, Cuba (between 2009 and 2011). It also aims to determine prevalence, to classify malocclusion according to Angle criteria, and to identify risk factors for this condition.

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted using simple or stratified random sampling depending on the patient’s age, the time period of the mission (two years) and the place where the study was conducted. Among the patients seeking basic dental care, those who were between five and nine years old were included and their data collected in a form designed for that purpose.

Malocclusion is most frequently found in Cuban children (79.1%), followed by Venezuelan children (67.2%) and Malian children (40%). Angle type I malocclusion predominates with 50.2% in Malian, 58.5% in Venezuelan, and 78.7 in Cubans. One of the most important risk factors was dental cavities in the three groups: 91.8% in Malian, 78.26% in Venezuelan, and 34.7% in Cubans. Deforming oral habits were also observed from 40.7%, 65.5% up to 72.1%. Premature tooth loss appeared between 60% and 84.1% and was directly related to dental cavities. Interproximal cavities and defective dental restorations were also observed.

Malocclusion was found in over 40% of cases and Angle type I was the most prevalent. Risk factors were the same for all groups, and they were dental cavities, deforming oral habits, premature tooth loss, and interproximal cavities. Muscular dysfunctions were present, but they were not associated to malocclusion.