Occlusal Characteristics of Deaf-Mute Individuals in the Turkish Population

OBJECTIVES: To classify and determine the occlusal characteristics of deaf-mute individuals and its gender distribution in the Turkish population. METHODS: For this study, 213 deaf-mute individuals (155 boys and 58 girls) were evaluated. The age range was between 10–24 years, and the mean age was 16.37±2.53 years. Measurements were divided into four groups: dental, intraarch, interarch, and, extra data. RESULTS: Of the participants, 75.0% had a Class I molar relationship, whereas 13.0% and 8.0% had Class II and Class III malocclusions, respectively. 23.9% of individuals had a normal overbite, 38.4% had a deepbite, and 23.4% had an openbite. One or more congenitally missing teeth were found in 6.0% of individuals; 81.0% expressed satisfaction with their esthetics, and 19.0% expressed the contrary. CONCLUSIONS: Different characteristics and malocclusions are present in deaf-mute individuals.