title: Are severe occlusal problems more frequent in permanent than deciduous dentition?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence and severity of occlusal problems in populations at the ages of deciduous and permanent dentition and to carry out a meta-analysis to estimate the weighted odds ratio for occlusal problems comparing both groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data of a probabilistic sample (n=985) of schoolchildren aged 5 and 12 from an epidemiological study in the municipality of São Paulo, Brazil, were analyzed using univariate logistic regression (MLR). Results of cross-sectional study data published in the last 70 years were examined in the meta-analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of occlusal problems increased from 49.0% (95% CI =47.4%-50.6%) in the deciduous dentition to 71.3% (95% CI =70.3%-72.3%) in the permanent dentition (p<0.001). Dentition was the only variable significantly associated to the severity of malocclusion (OR=1.87; 95% CI =1.43-2.45; p<0.001). The variables sex, type of school and ethnic group were not significant. The meta-analysis showed that a weighted OR of 1.95 (1.91; 1.98) when compared the second dentition period with deciduous and mixed dentition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In planning oral health services, some activities are indicated to reduce the proportion of moderate/severe malocclusion to levels that are socially more acceptable and economically sustainable.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Prática de Saúde Pública, Faculdade de Saúde Pública, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brasil. pafrazao@usp.br
authors.forename: Paulo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Frazão
authors.forename: Paulo Capel
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Narvai
authors.forename: Maria do Rosário Dias de Oliveira
authors.initials: Mdo R
authors.lastname: Latorre
authors.forename: Roberto Augusto
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Castellanos
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019229:Dentition, Permanent; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous