Survey on hypodontia in Sayada, Tunisia.
OBJECTIVE
To determine dental agenesis prevalence in Sayada, Tunisia, a town from where many patients attend the Pediatric Department of Monastir University Dental School for such abnormalities, and to analyze its mode of inheritance.


METHODS
A total of 262 schoolchildren in permanent dentition (134 females and 128 males) aged 12 to 18 years (mean, 14.1 +/- 1.2 years) were examined to detect dental agenesis. In the case of a missing permanent tooth, a panoramic radiograph was taken to confirm diagnosis. A family survey questionnaire was completed for each case of multiple agenesis (at least 4 teeth missing).


RESULTS
Findings revealed a dental agenesis prevalence of 13.3%. Altogether, 62 teeth were missing. No case of syndromal agenesis was detected; however, 12 children presented multiple agenesis (34.3%). The family survey was completed for only 9 of these subjects.


CONCLUSIONS
Literature review showed a lower dental agenesis prevalence (3% to 7%) than did the present study. In the present study, females were more affected by this abnormality than males (16.4% and 10.3%, respectively). With the exception of third molars, the tooth most often missing was the mandibular second premolar (30.6%), followed by the maxillary second premolar (17.7%); hypodontia seemed to be symmetrical. Family surveys revealed a high rate of consanguinity in Sayada. Pedigree analysis of 9 families showed that dental agenesis was probably related to an autosomal dominant inheritance.
Maatouk
Fethi
F
Dentistry Department, Monastir Dental School, Tunisia. fethi.maatouk@fmdm.rnu.tn
Baaziz
Ahlem
A
Ghnima
Senda
S
Masmoudi
Fatma
F
Ghedira
Hichem
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000848:Anodontia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D002648:Child; D003241:Consanguinity; D005260:Female; D005799:Genes, Dominant; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010375:Pedigree; D015995:Prevalence; D012744:Sex Ratio; D014416:Tunisia / Q000453:epidemiology