Características oclusales de los niños de 5 años del municipio de andes (Antioquia, Colombia)

Abstract

Introduction: The occlusal alterations are a frequent problem in the pri- mary dentition, their identification from early age, allow to recognize varia- tions in the normal characteristics, which can influence the development of permanent occlusion. Objective: To establish the occlusal characteris- tics in primary dentition, in children 5-year-old of Andes municipality, Co- lombia. Materials and methods: One hundred twenty five children were evaluated by a clinical visual inspection of the relationship between the dental com- ponents. Prevalence for each occlusal characteristic was calculated and the com- bined frequencies of alterations were also estimated. Results: Class I canine rela- tionship in 84% and Class II in 12% were found. The horizontal and vertical overbite were normal in 60.8% and 58.4% respectively, and 6.4% had posterior cross bite. None occlusal alteration was found in 48.8% of children; while 3.2% had alteration in the four occlusal characteristics evaluated. There were no statistically significant differences in occlusal characteristics by sex. Conclusion: The presence of occlusal alterations, in a greater proportion than the national average, requires implementing in the municipality actions for its detection and treatment that contribute to adequa- te craniofacial growth and development.