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Need for malocclusion prevention in primary and mixed dentition

Belfer Marina

A recent study reported that around 90 percent of the children in primary and early mixed dentition present signs of a developing malocclusion. In many cases it is caused in early childhood by prolonged use of a pacifier or bottle/breast feeding, thumb/foreign object sucking, injuries that result in the misalignment of the jaw, poor dental care that results in improperly fitting dental restorations or untreated carious lesions, primary teeth extractions without space maintainers, mouth breathing, potentially caused by allergies or airway obstruction by enlarged adenoids/tonsils or bad habits. The consequences of malocclusion in children are deplorable, leading to improper alignment of the teeth, alteration in the appearance of the face, self-esteem problems, frequent biting of the inner cheeks or tongue, discomfort when chewing or biting, speech problems, including the development of a lisp, mouth breathing resulting in adenoid and long face formation, trauma and caries susceptibility. It is therefore important that attention be paid to the early prevention of malocclusion in primary and mixed dentition, thereby eliminating the future problems in the bud. The present report explores the need for malocclusion prevention, used in children to reduce the long-term complications of malocclusion.

Due to the close connection between the prevalence of malocclusions and dysfunctional problems, prevention strategies should be integrated into a national public health program all over the world. The habits mentioned above should be eliminated early by using the appropriate protocols in order to reduce the risk factors of malocclusion.