Infraocclusion: Prevalence, Characteristics, and Associated Dental Anomalies in Arabian Children.

Aim: To analyze the distribution and characteristics of infraocclusion among Arabian children in primary dentition and its associated dental anomalies. Methods: A radiographic analysis was performed retrospectively using digital panoramic radiographs of children attending the pediatric dental clinic of College of Dentistry, Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia, from January 2019 to May 2021. The panoramic radiographs were analyzed to assess the distribution and characteristics of infraocclusion and its associated dental anomalies. Descriptive statistics were used for comparisons using SPSS version 21.0 (IBM Corp., Armonk, N.Y., USA). The chi-square test was used to compare percentages. Results: Among the study population (542), only 40 children reported infraocclusion of 65 primary molars. Infraocclusion was common in males (90%) and very frequent in the mandibular arch (n = 48 teeth). In the primary dentition, unilateral infraocclusion (62.5%) was very frequent than bilateral presence (37.5%). Single molars were involved in 50% of the patients, while two, three, and four molars were involved in 42.5%, 2.5%, and 5% of cases. The mandibular second primary molar was frequently affected with infraocclusion, while the maxillary first primary molar was less commonly affected. In the mandibular arch, the second primary molar (28, 58%) was more commonly affected with infraocclusion than the mandibular first primary molars and maxillary primary and secondary molars (p < 0.05). The majority of the infraoccluded molars were mild (75%), followed by moderate (23.5%) and severe (1.5%). Hypodontia (12.5%) is frequently associated with infraocclusion, followed by supernumerary teeth (5%) and radix entomolaris of the first permanent mandibular molars (5%). Infraocclusion was more in the second primary molar mandibular arch, while in the maxillary arch, the first primary molars were commonly affected (p > 0.05). Conclusion: In Arabian children, infraocclusion was commonly observed in mandibular second primary molars. Unilateral infraocclusion is a mild type of infraocclusion frequent in Arabian children. Numerical anomalies such as hypodontia and supernumerary teeth are associated with infraocclusion.

Utilization of mouthguards among school children in Saudi Arabia.

AIM: To evaluate attitude towards mouthguard utilization among school children. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted among students of both genders, aged between 8 to 16 years, attending school in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A structural questionnaire was prepared consisting of questions related to the demographic details, attitude, and conception of children towards using a mouthguard. The questionnaire was sent to the school teachers to distribute among the respective school children. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: A total of 1116 children completed the survey form, of which 488 were female and 628 male. The prevalence of use of mouthguard among Saudi school children was found to be 3.32%. Out of the total study subjects, 72.68% of the subjects believed that mouthguards could protect them from injuries. The most common reasons for not wearing mouthguards were: they never thought about it (38.47), they felt it was not necessary (30.58%), it was expensive (11.02%), and they never had any injury (19.93%). Out of 37, 2 subjects never experienced any problem with mouthguards. The most common problems with the mouthguards were: difficulty in speech, being uncomfortable and expensive, followed by interference with breathing. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of mouthguard use was 3.32% in Saudi school children aged between 8-16 years. The most common reason for not using it was found to be lack of knowledge. Counseling the young children interested in sports activities is the need of the hour.