Prevalence of Developmental Dental Anomalies Using Digital Panoramic Radiographs in Libyan Dental Patients

Abstract

Dental anomalies may occur due to the complex interactions among genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors during dental development. The current study aimed to determine the prevalence and gender significance of developmental dental anomalies (DDA) in dental patients. This was a cross-sectional study of 260 subjects (123 males and 137 females) with an age range of 6–35 years old. Clinical and radiographic examinations were performed to determine the prevalence of anomalies in tooth number, shape, size, position, and structure. Descriptive statistics was performed, the chi-square test was used for analysis and p-value was set at 0.05. The findings showed that 203 subjects (78.1%) had DDA, which included 86 males (33.1%) and 117 females (45%). A significant gender difference was found regarding the prevalence of two anomalies (p < 0.05). The most prevalent anomaly was displacement 51.2%, followed by dilaceration 24.2%. A significant gender difference (p < 0.05) was found regarding hypodontia 16.5% and impaction 14.6%, with more predominant in females. Some anomalies were not observed such as microdontia, dentin dysplasia, ectopic eruption, gemination, and taurodontism. The study concluded that displacement and dilacerations were the common abnormalities. These findings may lead to various dental complications. Therefore, early diagnosis and follow-up observation are required to reduce the potential dental problems. In addition, it is helpful to increase the knowledge of practitioners with regards to DDA and its occurrence. Furthermore, it is good to highlight the importance of early diagnosis of DDA, especially in the mixed dentition, which can lead to reducing the complication of an orthodontic treatment plan.