Prevalence of Malocclusion among Male School Children in Riyadh City

BACKGROUND: Malocclusion is defined as irregularity of the teeth or a molar relationship between the dental arches beyond the range of what is accepted as normal. AIM: To determine the prevalence of malocclusion among male school children aged 12-15 years old in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Five hundred (500) school children in Riyadh city, Saudi Arabia with an age of 12-15 years participated in this study. The prevalence of malocclusion among the students was determined using a clinical examination form specially prepared for this study. The required information was collected from each subject, and descriptive statistics were performed. RESULTS: The Molar Class I relation involved the highest percentage of the sample (71.2%) while Class II relation involved only 23% which was four times of Class III (5.8%). The maxillary arch crowding was present in 23.2% of the sample which was double than that of spacing. Whereas, the mandibular arch crowding was present in 28% of the sample which was three times more than spacing (8.8%). The open bite was present in 4% of the sample while deep bite was present in 9.6%. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of malocclusion involved the highest percentage in Class I in comparison with other malocclusions.