Prevalence of malocclusion and non-physiological oral habits in primary school Children from Ercilla, Chile.

Abstract

Introduction: Dentomaxillary Anomalies (DMA) affect the growth and morphology of the stomatognathic system of individuals, representing a public health problem. Few studies have described its prevalence among vulnerable populations in Chile. The aim of the study was to explore the prevalence of DMA and its association to non-physiological habits (NFH) and sociodemographic characteristics among primary school children living in Ercilla, Chile. Material and Methods: A convenience sample of 327 primary school students from six schools in Ercilla, were assessed through an intraoral and extraoral evaluation. Overjet, overbite, molar relationship, presence of DMAs, and NFHs were measured. Descriptive statistics, analysis of association between DMAs and studied factors, and logistic regression models were done and odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals presented. Results: A total of 61.5% of students presented at least one DMA. Chi-square test showed no significant association between DMA prevalence and NHFs, however, after adjusting for sociodemographic factors, children with NFH were 1.69 (95%CI 1.02-2.78) times more likely to have DMAs. Gender and area of residence were not significantly associated with DMAs. Conclusion: In children from Ercilla, DMAs were associated with NFHs, however, sociodemographic characteristics did not have a significant role in the presence of DMA, suggesting that sociodemographic factors might not strongly influence orthodontic needs among children from this geographical area.

Keywords

• malocclusion
• dentition
• children
• rural population
• habits
• epidemiology