Prevalence of Hypodontia in a Sample of Spanish Dental Patients

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the prevalence of hypodontia in a sample of dental patients, aged between seven and eleven years at University Alfonso X in Madrid (Spain). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The number of hypodontia cases and the most affected teeth were evaluated in 2500 panoramic radiographs in a random sample of dental patients consisting of 1235 females and 1265 males. We divided them according to age, number of hypodontia present in each patient (multiple or single), each side, each quadrant either in the upper jaw or in the mandible. The chi-square test (P <0.05) was used to compare the differences in agenesis among males and females. RESULTS: The sample of 2500 patients who were studied consisted of 1235 women, out of which 41 presented hypodontia (3.31%) and 1265 men, out of which 46 had at least a dental absence (3.63%). There was no significant difference in the proportion of hypodontia between men and women (p> 0.05). CONCLUSION: The percentage of total agenesis of 2500 patients studied was 3.48%.