Dental caries experience in patients with and without anterior crossbite: A case-control study

Abstract

Anterior crossbite is a type of malocclusion involving anteroposterior alignment, which results from an abnormal axial inclination of the anterior maxillary teeth. Dental caries is a chronic disease affecting patients and adults. Due to improper oral hygiene management in individuals with a crossbite, the incidence of caries could be higher. Hence a study was conducted to assess the dental caries status in patients with anterior crossbite and also compare with patients without anterior crossbite. The present study consisted of 56 patients divided into two groups: patients with anterior crossbite and patients without anterior crossbite. 89000 Case sheets were reviewed from the dental treatment records for DMFT index in patients with and without anterior crossbite from June 2019 to March 2020. In both groups, parameters such as Decayed- Missing - Filled (DMFT) score was recorded. Data were subjected to the Mann Whitney U test in SPSS software. Results showed higher DMFT score was seen in patients without anterior crossbite. Mean DMFT Index for case group (patients with anterior crossbite) is 2.04, and Mean DMFT Index for the control group (patients without anterior crossbite) is 2.93. The difference was not statistically significant (P-value - 0.072). Within the limitations of the study, dental caries status in patients with anterior crossbite is good compared with patients without anterior crossbite.