Prevalence Of Hypodontia among Orthodontic Patients - A Retrospective Study

Hypodontia is an anomaly that could affect and influence the orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning. The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess the prevalence and distribution of hypodontia in the permanent dentition, excluding the third molars, in a sample of South Indian orthodontic patients. Orthopantomograms of 500 South Indian orthodontic patients (209 boys and 291 girls) between the ages of 10 and 18 years were examined for evidence of hypodontia. The casts were used as an additional means of confirming the diagnosis. The prevalence of hypodontia was 7.4% (3.4% for boys, 4 % for girls) with no statistically significant difference between the sexes.