THE INCIDENCE OF DENTAL CARIES IN ADOLESCENTS WITH DIFFERENT OCCLUSION

¹ Stomatological Clinic, University Medical School, Debrecen, Hungary

The incidence of dental caries was examined in adolescents 16 to 18 years of age in relationship to normalcy of occlusion or type of malocclusion. Groups of individuals with maloccluding dentitions display higher CER (DMF) indexes generally than those with normal occlusion. "Covered bite," with normal intermaxillary molar and canine relationships, is associated with less decay than normal occlusion. This is true to some degree for Class II, Division 2 malocclusion also, at least in so far as in this type of malocclusion decay is not heavier than in the normal occlusion group. This finding points to the role of hereditary factors in caries susceptibility. Dental decay is an important causative factor of malocclusion, approximately 20 per cent of malocelusions being apparently due to the early loss of (carious) permanent teeth.