Congenitally missing teeth in a malocclusion population.

I. Ioannidou-Marathiotou, M.A. Papadopoulos, E. Gianniou, G. Kolokithas
Hellenic Orthodontic Review 2000;3:65-79.

AIM: To investigate the distribution and frequency of congenitally missing teeth, per group, in the maxillary and mandibular dental arches, per quadrant, as well as the possible relationships of these conditions with various factors such as, sex, the Angle Classes, overbite, crowding and spacing in people with malocclusions.
DESIGN: Cross-sectional study.
SETTING: Department of Orthodontics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 1999-2000.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The material of this study consisted of panoramic radiographs and study casts of 800 persons between 6 and 40 years of age, who sought treatment at the Orthodontic Clinic of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki and the authors’ private practices. The population sample included 341 men and 459 women.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Assessment of congenitally missing teeth was performed by evaluating the panoramic radiographs. Non-parametric Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis and Wilcoxon tests were used in order to detect possible statistically significant differences.
RESULTS: (a) 8.4% of people seeking treatment had congenitally missing teeth, (b) congenitally missing teeth were more common in women than in men, and in the lower rather than the upper dental arch, (c) the most frequently congenitally missing teeth were mandibular second premolars and maxillary lateral incisors, (d) women with Class II, division 2 malocclusion or deep bite had congenitally missing teeth more often than men with the same malocclusions, and (e) congenitally missing teeth were more common in people with spacing which, in turn, in many cases, is the consequence of this condition.
CONCLUSIONS: The percentage of congenitally missing teeth was found 8.4% in Greek population in subjects seeking orthodontic treatment and it was more pronounced in women than in men.

Request for reprints:I. Ioannidou-Marathiotou, Department of Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, GR-54006 Thessaloniki, Greece.