Buccally Malposed Maxillary Canines in Intermediate Schools Students of Sammawa City

Background: Canines are unique teeth because they have certain characteristics and responsibilities. They are located in the corner of the mouth, assist the incisors in cutting and tearing food, help the posterior teeth by guiding the mandible during the action of mastication. This survey aimed to determine the prevalence and gender difference of buccally malposed maxillary canines and to study the relation of this problem with the sagittal occlusion, crowding, retard deciduous canine and lack of space in the dental arch in a sample of intermediate schools students from Sammawa city.  Materials and methods: A total of 3200 students (1600 males and 1600 females) aged 13-14 years old from Sammawa city were examined to detect the buccally malposed maxillary canines. For each diagnosed case, the sagittal occlusion, the sides affected on the maxillary arch, angulation of the canines, presence of crowding, retard deciduous canine and space lacking were determined. Z-score test was used to detect the gender difference, while Chi square test was applied to correlate the canine malposition with other factors.  Results : In general 311(9.72%) of total sample have buccally malposed maxillary canines. Of them, 163(10.19%) were males and 148(9.25%) were females. This problem appeared to be higher in class I than other sagittal relations. Mesially angulated canine was more prevalent than distally one and in right more than left with non-significant gender difference. The prevalence of buccally malposed maxillary canines with the presence of crowding and retard primary canines was higher in males than females with non-significant gender difference. There was high significant association between buccally malposed canine and lacking of space. Conclusions: Regular visits of the children to the general practitioners and /or orthodontists are mandatory trying to preserve the deciduous teeth and to educate the parents about the importance of these teeth. In addition to that, the age between 9 to 10 years is important to detect the bulging of canines trying to minimize the possibility of ectopic canine eruption.