title: Need for preventive and interceptive orthodontic treatment in 3-5 year-old Nigerian children in two major cities.
abstract: There is a growing emphasis world-wide for early orthodontic treatment but in Nigeria there is very little information regarding the occlusal development in pre-school children reported. The need for preventive and interceptive intervention for malocclusion was studied in a sample of 563 Nigerian children (289 boys and 274 girls) aged 3-5 years. Orthodontic intervention was estimated to be needed in 12.8% of the children due to cross bite of the anterior or lateral segments. Education was needed in 12.5% of the children in cases of digit sucking, lip sucking and tongue thrusting. Extraction was indicated in 0.4% of children in cases of retained primary incisors causing displacement of the erupting successors. The need for further follow-up of occlusal development was noted in 1.4% of the children due to double primary teeth (0.4%), numerical variation of primary teeth (0.4%), crown dilaceration of a tooth (0.2%) and true class III skeletal malocclusion (0.4%).
authors.affiliation: Department of Preventive Dentistry, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, College of Medicine, Nigeria.
authors.forename: C O
authors.initials: CO
authors.lastname: Onyeaso
authors.forename: E O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Sote
authors.forename: M O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Arowojolu
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D015984:Causality; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019140:Dental Care for Children; D003753:Dental Health Surveys; D005260:Female; D005386:Fingersucking / Q000009:adverse effects; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D009549:Nigeria; D009972:Orthodontics, Interceptive; D009973:Orthodontics, Preventive; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence; D012494:Sampling Studies; D017678:Sex Distribution