Tooth Occlusion Patterns among Young Adults of Isoko and Urhobo Ethnic Groups in Delta State, Nigeria

Background: Occlusion of primary dentition plays a vital role in directing occlusion in the succession of permanent dentition. Dental occlusion surpasses the actual touch of the opposing teeth's biting surface or their substitutes; therefore, the current study evaluated tooth occlusion patterns among Isoko and Urhobo ethnic groups in Delta State, Nigeria. Materials and Method: This observational study comprised 384 subjects of both genders among Urhobo and Isoko in Delta State University, Abraka, who were within ages 18-32years. Ethical approval was obtained from the Departmental Ethics and Research Committee in Human Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences, Delta State University, Abraka. Tooth occlusion pattern was categorised following Eveleth's fourfold models into: edge to edge, mild overbite, severe overbite and negative overbite. Data obtained was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, version 22). The independent sample t-test was helpful for determining gender differences while p value lesser than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Results: The total prevalence of mild overbite, edge to edge, severe overbite and negative overbite were 56.5%, 29.2%, 8.6% and 5.7% respectively. Also, the incidence of mild overbite was utmost among both genders (females – 32%, males - 24.5%) in the studied population while the mean occlusion pattern was significantly higher in females than in males (p< 0.05) of the studied population. Conclusion: There were differences in the occlusion patterns among young adults of Isoko and Urhobo ethnic groups while the occlusion patterns among both ethnic groups were more common in females than in males. Thus, the association between age and teeth occlusion patterns should be looked into in future studies.