Need for preventive and interceptive orthodontic treatment in 3 - 5 year-old Nigerian children in two major cities

Abstract

There is a growing emphasis world-wide for early orthodontic treatment but in Nigeria there is very little information regarding the occlusal development in pre-school children reported. The need for preventive and interceptive intervention for malocclusion was studied in a sample of 563 Nigerian children (289 boys and 274 girls) aged 3-5 years. Orthodontic intervention was estimated to be needed in 12.8% of the children due to cross bite of the anterior or lateral segments. Education was needed in 12.5% of the children in cases of digit sucking, lip sucking and tongue thrusting. Extraction was indicated in 0.4% of children in cases of retained primary incisors causing displacement of the erupting successors. The need for further follow-up of occlusal development was noted in 1.4% of the children due to double primary teeth (0.4%), numerical variation of primary teeth (0.4%), crown dilaceration of a tooth (0.2%) and true class III skeletal malocclusion (0.4%).