Investigations of infantile occlusion using new diagnostic criteria and oral health guidance based on their results.

Abstract

Occlusions in the infantile period were investigated using new criteria obatained from regular oral health examinations at Yahaba Town, Iwate Prefecture. The results are as follows; A comparatively high frequency of malocclusion 49.1% was recognized at low age, especially in 2-year-old children, during the final stage of eruption of deciduous teeth. Pathogenic factors of maloccltsions were mainly both type 1 and type 2 of discrepancy factor; other factors, as well as skeletal and functional factors were generally of a low frequency through the infantile period, except for the skeletal factor at 6 years of age, which was 13.9%. The severity of malocclusion was nearly 90% in grades A and B, but a few cases were diagnosed with more severe malocclusion in grade C.

As to making suggestion for oral health care from these findings, it seemed necessary that the food intake at the infantile stage should consist of more hard and fibrous material in order to compensate and accelerate maxillofacial bone growth. For treatment of malocclusions, it was considered that it is important to point out that this is the period to begin making correction of malocclusion.