Occlusal criteria in two Iraqi rural communities

Abstract

This study was carried out to assess the occlusal features in two Iraqi rural populations, to evaluate the prevalence of these criteria, to explore the difference in these features between the two communities and to provide data base for the malocclusion add to the available informations mainly in rural areas. A sample of(268) males with age range(12-18) years(139 persons from Al-Sharkhan and 129 from Al-Shamsiat rural areas. The statistical analysis revealed that the normal occlusion form(38%) for the two areas while the Class I malocclusion appeared in(54.1%) of the total sample, but Class II division 1 and 2 occurred in(8.2%),(2.2%) respectively, and lastly the Class III malocclusion noticed at(6.3%). The most commonly occurring feature was the generalized dental spacing(40.31%) followed by the generalized crowding(23.25%), and deep bite of which the total overlapping of the lower anterior teeth was occur in(7.08%). Nevertheless, open bite noticed at(1.49%) of the total sample. In this research, there was only a significant difference between the samples of two rural areas at the generalized dental crowding, spacing and in the slight and extreme increase in over jet. Also the unilateral cross bite,buccally erupted canines were more common than the bilateral one.