Assessment of Incisor Crowding in Mixed Dentition among Saudi Schoolchildren Attending College of Dentistry Clinics at King Saud

The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of permanent incisor crowding in the maxillary and mandibular arches among Saudi schoolchildren. Three hundred and fifty four dental casts of Saudi schoolchildren attending pediatric dentistry and orthodontic clinics in College of Dentistry at King Saud University in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia were studied by one examiner. The children’s age ranged from 7 to11 years. The children were divided into two age groups: the first group (Group I) comprised of children aged 7 9 years (mean age 8 years ± 4 months) and the second group (Group II) comprised of children aged >9 11 years (mean age 10 years ± 2 months). All measurements were carried out using digital caliper. Descriptive statistics were generated and independent samples t-test was used to compare the data. In Group I, 40.2% of the children had crowding in the maxillary arch, 62.3 % in the mandibular arch; and 30.9% of the children had crowding in both maxillary and mandibular arches. In Group II, 31.4% of the children had crowding in the maxillary arch, 49.5% in the mandibular arch; and 26.4% had crowding in both the arches. The mandibular arch showed significantly (p<0.05) higher degree of incisor crowding compared to the maxillary arch in both groups and in both genders. The prevalence of permanent incisor crowding in both arches was higher in Group I than in Group II. It can be concluded that the prevalence of incisor crowding varies between the dental arches in both genders and age groups.