Risk factors of malocclusions in children of 5 years with temporary dentition

Abstract

Introduction: Malocclusions, according to the World Health Organization, rank third as oral health problem, although they are not a risk to life are considered as public health problems.

Objective: To determine the risk factors preset in children of 5 years with temporary dentition.

Method: An observational descriptive study was carried out. The universe was constituted by 61 infants  and the sample was conformed by 52 children (21 males and 31 females) who met the inclusion criteria. The direct observation method was used and the relative frequency and summary of the information on the percent were used as measures.

Results and discussion: 3.8% of the examined children showed a distal step, an area of absent growth in a 42.3% and space of absent primate in a 63.5%. The bogue index under 30 in a 48.1% and 16 children were found with tooth decay to a 30.8%. The 78.8% of the examined children practice disfiguring habits. This gives the possibility to predict the type of occlusion which can be set to these children in the permanent dentition and this way we can work to prevent malocclusions from an early age.

Conclusions: Although there are attention programmes to less than 19 years,  the attention to the group of children under 5 years is not enough, so in this population is preventive and curative treatments needed to decreasing the incidence of malocclusions and raise the quality of life of the individual