A 57-year follow-up study of occlusion. Part 3: Oral health and attitudes to teeth among individuals with crossbite at the age of 8 years.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze occlusal changes occurring between the ages of 8 and 65 years in persons with anterior and/or posterior crossbite at the age of 8; to examine their attitudes toward dental appearance and their experiences related to their own teeth.


METHODS
Of the 81 people we contacted who had been documented as having crossbite as 8-year-olds in 1950, 21 agreed to participate in this follow-up study. Their occlusal conditions had been documented initially by intraoral photographs in 1950, and a clinical examination including facial photographs, further occlusal photographs and an interview took place in 2007. For comparison, we also had available similarly-documented examples of individuals (n = 18) of the same age and with normal occlusion in 1950.


RESULTS
Oral hygiene was good or excellent in all individuals and all but one visited their dentist regularly. The average number of missing teeth was 3.8, whereas in the normal occlusion sample that number was 1.6. Of the eight persons who had undergone minor orthodontic treatment during childhood, five had an anterior crossbite resolved. Four persons who had initially presented a posterior crossbite later developed an anterior crossbite as well. In 2007, eleven individuals had a posterior and eight an anterior crossbite. At 65, four persons remembered that they had been teased in childhood because of their teeth, and could still remember the terms that had been used. Eighteen persons were satisfied with their teeth although two had severe anterior crossbite; three were dissatisfied, and their reasons were general health problems, mild crowding, and dentofacial asymmetry. Seven persons had TMJ symptoms with various types of history. With three exceptions, they all considered good tooth position to be important or very important.


CONCLUSIONS
In those not orthodontically treated, malocclusion tended to worsen, although 18 of the 21 persons expressed satisfaction with their teeth as adults. They had a higher average number of missing teeth, and more had TMJ problems than the control group with normal occlusion.
Berg
Rolf Elling
RE
rolfell@start.no
Espeland
Lisen
L
Stenvik
Arild
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D004245:DMF Index; D004954:Esthetics; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007574:Jaw Relation Record; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008875:Middle Aged; D009911:Oral Hygiene Index; D009971:Orthodontics, Corrective / Q000523:psychology*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D023861:Photography, Dental; D014070:Tooth; D055815:Young Adult