PREVALENCE OF ANTERIOR OPEN BITE IN SAMPLE OF MULTAN POPULATION

Abstract

Anterior open bite is defined as the absence of vertical overlap between the upper and the lower incisors when posterior teeth are in centric occlusion. The causes of anterior open bite depend upon multiple factors and can be attributed to environmental and genetic traits, reflected in pathologic (muscular dystrophy and cleft lip/palate) and developmental factors. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of anterior open bite in the permanent dentition in a sample of patients visiting Out Patient Department(OPD) of the Nishtar Institute of Dentistry, Multan. Research data was acquired by clinical examination of 249 patients (124 males and 125 females) having ages between 14-33 years with a mean age of 22.7±4.5 years. Detailed history and clinical examination measurements were made for anterior open bite. An edge-to-edge incisor relationship was recorded if the maxillary and mandibular incisors occluded on their incisal edges. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) program (version 20.0) was used for descriptive analysis of data. Overall the prevalence of Anterior open bite was present in 19(7.6%) patients while in females (8%) was found to be slightly higher than males(7.2%) having a ratio of 1.138:1. Out of these, 9(3.6%) patients had dental open bite while 10(4.0%) patients had skeletal open bite. Less severe open bite (<1mm) was more common, as observed in 16(6.4%) patients, than severe (>1mm) as observed in 3(1.2%) patients.