Prevalence of Malocclusion in Children between the Age of 10-15 Years in Calabar Metropolis, Cross River.

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIVE: Malocclusion has previously been reported by some Nigerian authors with different prevalence values, but not one can be found about population from Calabar area of the country. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of malocclusion amongst school children who are between the ages of 10-15 years in Calabar metropolis. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among school children aged 10-15 years in four secondary schools in Calabar metropolis, Cross River state, Nigeria. A total of 437 children satisfied the inclusion criteria. They were examined and their occlusal variations such as crossbite, open bite, deep bite, scissors bite, spacing/midline diastema, and molar relationship were recorded. Data was tabulated and analyzed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Analysis of Variance. RESULTS: The results revealed that the overall prevalence of malocclusion was 65%. A total of 84.4% of the children had Angle's class I malocclusion, classes II and III malocclusions were observed in 11.5% and 4.1% of the children respectively; 16.5% showed deep bite, 5.0% had reduced overbite and 7.6% had anterior open bite. About 5.5% (five point five percent) had anterior crossbite, while 3.7% (three point seven percent) had posterior crossbite, 0.5% (zero point five percent) had scissors bite; generalized spacing was observed in 7.4%, (seven point four), while 32.7%, (thirty two point seven percent) had upper and lower midline diastema and 14.2% had crowding. There was no significant difference in gender distributions of malocclusions in this population. CONCLUSION: The study revealed a high prevalence of malocclusion in Calabar with a significant percentage of them showing class I malocclusion.

INTRODUCTION/OBJECTIF: La malocclusion a déjà été rapportée par certains auteurs nigérians avec des valeurs de prévalence différentes, mais on n'en trouve aucune sur la population de la région de Calabar du pays. L'objectif de cette étude était de déterminer la prévalence de la malocclusion chez les enfants scolarisés âgés de 10 à 15 ans dans la métropole de Calabar. MÉTHODES: Cette étude descriptive transversale a été menée auprès d'écoliers âgés de 10 à 15 ans dans quatre écoles secondaires de la métropole de Calabar, État de Cross River, Nigeria. Au total, 437 enfants ont satisfait aux critères d'inclusion. Ils ont été examinés et leurs variations occlusales telles que l'occlusion croisée, l'occlusion ouverte, l'occlusion profonde, l'occlusion en ciseaux, le diastème d'espacement/de ligne médiane et la relation molaire ont été enregistrées. Les données ont été tabulées et analysées à l'aide de la corrélation du moment produit de Pearson et de l'analyse de la variance. RÉSULTATS: Les résultats ont révélé que la prévalence globale de la malocclusion était de 65%. Au total, 84,4% des enfants présentaient une malocclusion de classe I d'Angle, les malocclusions de classes II et III ont été observées chez 11,5% et 4,1% des enfants respectivement; 16,5% présentaient une occlusion profonde, 5,0% une supraclusion réduite et 7,6% une occlusion antérieure ouverte. Environ 5,5 % (cinq virgule cinq pour cent) présentaient un articulé croisé antérieur, tandis que 3,7 % (trois virgule sept pour cent) présentaient un articulé croisé postérieur, 0,5 % (zéro virgule cinq pour cent) présentaient un articulé en ciseaux ; un espacement généralisé a été observé chez 7,4 % (sept virgule quatre pour cent), tandis que 32,7 % (trente-deux virgule sept pour cent) présentaient un diastème de la ligne médiane supérieure et inférieure et 14,2 % un encombrement. Il n'y avait pas de différence significative dans la répartition des malocclusions entre les sexes dans population. CONCLUSION: L'étude a révélé une forte prévalence de la malocclusion à Calabar avec un pourcentage significatif de malocclusion de classe 1. MOTS CLÉS: Malocclusion, surocclusion, occlusion croisée, diastème de la ligne médiane.

Comparison of the treatment outcomes of the conventional stainless steel crown restorations and the hall technique in the treatment of carious primary molars.

BACKGROUND: Dental caries is a multifactorial disease that causes reversible decalcification and cavitation of susceptible teeth exposed to sugary substrates over a period of time in the oral cavity. It gives clinical and social burdens to the child patients and their parents/carers. Stainless steel crown (SSC) restoration is one of the restorative treatment options in the management of carious primary molars. AIMS: The Hall technique is a biologic method of managing primary teeth by sealing in the caries with preformed metal crowns (SSCs). The objectives of this study were to assess and compare the primary and secondary treatment outcomes of stainless steel crown restorations using the conventional method and the Hall technique in primary molars immediately after placement and over a 12-month period using both clinical and radiological parameters. METHODS: The study was a randomized control clinical trial using a split mouth approach. A total of 25 stainless steel crown restorations using the conventional method and 25 stainless steel crown restorations using the Hall technique were placed in 25 subjects aged 3-8 years with a pair or pairs of unrestored enamel or dentinal carious primary molars matched for tooth type, dental arch, and extent of caries. All subjects were monitored and reviewed every 3 months for 12 months. RESULTS: Twenty three subjects returned for follow-up. There was no statistically significant difference (P-value > 0.05) between the conventional SSC restoration and the Hall technique for both the primary outcomes/major failures (irreversible pulpitis, dental abscess, peri-radicular radiolucency, and crown loss with tooth unrestorable) and secondary outcomes/minor failures (crown loss and tooth restorable, crown perforation, secondary/marginal caries, and reversible pulpitis). But, there was a statistical significant difference in the average time taken for the placement of the restorations between the two groups (P-value 0.001). CONCLUSION: Both the conventional SSC restorations and the Hall technique can be provided for all the subjects in this study. The Hall Technique compared favorably well with the conventional SSC restoration in clinical and radiological outcomes. The Hall Technique appears to offer an effective treatment option for managing dental caries in primary molar teeth especially in a resource challenged environment where electricity and treatment under general aaesthesia can sometimes be a problem.

Comparison of the Treatment Assessments of the Conventional Stainless-Steel Crown Restorations and the Hall Technique.

BACKGROUND: Stainless steel crown (SSC) restoration is one of the restorative treatment options in the management of carious primary molars. The Hall technique is a biologic method of managing carious primary teeth by sealing in the caries with SSCs without the routine local anaesthesia and tooth preparations. The objectives of this study was to compare the treatment assessments of the conventional stainless steel crown restoration with Hall technique using subjects' discomfort during treatments and parents' treatment perception, treatment acceptability and satisfaction with the treatment. METHODS: The study was a comparative analytical study involving the placement of 25 SSC restorations using the conventional method and 25 SSC restorations using the Hall technique in 25 subjects aged 3-8 years with a pair or pairs of unrestored enamel or dentinal carious primary molars matched for tooth type, dental arch and extent of caries. Discomfort during the placements of the SSCs was assessed by the subjects while treatment perception, acceptability and satisfaction were assessed by the parents with the use of questionnaires. RESULTS: There was statistically significant difference (p-value 0.00001) between the conventional method and the Hall technique for the discomfort outcomes. There was no statistically significant difference for treatment perception (p=0.73), acceptability (0.72) and satisfaction (0.60). CONCLUSION: The Hall Technique compared favourably well with the conventional method in treatment perception, acceptability and satisfaction but it gave higher level of discomfort in some of the subjects. The Hall Technique appears to be a good method for managing dental caries in primary molar teeth especially in a resource challenged environment where electricity and access to care are contending issues.