PREVALENCE OF MALOCCLUSION IN CHILDREN WITH MIXED DENTITION IN VISNAGAR: A CROSS-SECTIONAL RETROSPECTIVE STUDY

Background: Malocclusion is currently understudied in the literature in Visnagar town of Gujarat Therefore, thecurrent research aimed to ascertain the prevalence of malocclusion and its various paradigms among children with mixed dentition of age between 6-14 years. Aim: To establish the Prevalence of various aspects of malocclusion amidst children ages, 6-14 years who visited the department of Pediatric dentistry - A Retrospective Study. Methodology: A Retrospective, Cross-Sectional study among children aged 6-14 years was conducted for the duration of 2020-22. The data was gathered in terms of intraoral photographs of children with mixed dentition phases. Out of the total 350 patient photographs assessed, 150 adhered to the conditions for inclusion. Various Occlusal traits like molar relations, midline shift, open bite, crossbite, and scissor bite were evaluated. The Association of age and gender specificity of various occlusal traits was assessed and tabulated. Results:Class 1 malocclusion was most prevalent among children (66.3%) followed by End on the relation (22%), Class 2 division 1 (7.3%), Class 3 (3.3%), and least seen was Class 2 division 2 (0.6%). Crossbite prevalence was 17.3%, among which the most commonly seen was Anterior single teeth crossbite (58%) and the least observed was unilateral segmental crossbite (4%). Reverse overjet and Overbite observed were 4% and 2% respectively Conclusion: Early diagnosis of developing malocclusion would facilitate appropriate interception in mixed dentition with better outcomes.