Assessment of Transverse Occlusal Discrepancy in the First One Hundred Orthodontic Patients Seen at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria.

Abstract

Background: Dental occlusion is examined in three planes, the vertical, antero-posterior, and transverse planes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of transverse discrepancy seen in the first one hundred orthodontic patients who visited the clinic, between the period of 2016 and 2020, at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Cross River state.
Methods: Aretrospective study on the transverse occlusal discrepancy of the first 100 patients who visited the orthodontic unit of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital for four years. The data on the patients were obtained from the clinical record book of the unit and these include age, sex, molar relationships, and transverse occlusal variables; crossbite and scissors bite.
Results: The prevalence of scissors bites was 2% and the crossbite was 8% in the study population. Crossbite was predominant in males and it occurred more in children. Scissors bite, in this study population, was not common.
Conclusion: The study has provided the baseline prevalence of scissors bite and crossbites in Cross River state. This will increase the clinician's ability to make rational decisions in the prevention and treatment of transverse discrepancies and also add to the body knowledge.