Abstract

ZUNIGA-TERTRE, María del Pilar; LUCAVECHI-ALCAYAGA, Tania  and  BARBERIA LEACHE, Elena. Distribution and gravity of infraocclusion in temporary molars. RCOE [online]. 2004, vol.9, n.1, pp.53-59. ISSN 1138-123X.

Introduction. Infraocclusion is a condition which has its origin in tooth ankylosis or dentoalveolar ankylosis. The vertical growth of the affected tooth is inhibited and it fails to reach the occlusal level of the surrounding teeth. The range of prevalence of infraocclusion is very wide. Given the clinical importance of this condition it seems advisable to study the frequency with which this anomaly is observed. Materials and method. The study was carried out using bilateral bitewing x-rays as reference for measuring the infraocclusion in millimetres with regard to the first permanent molar. Results. Infraocclusion was present in 10.48% of the 849 cases studied. There were no significant differences between genders. The age period in which infraocclusion was most frequent ranged between 6 and 8 years. The first temporary molars are the most frequently affected teeth and slight infraocclusion was present in 69.7% of the cases. Conclusions. Infraocclusion is a common pathology, which is equally prevalent in both genders and is most frequently seen in patients with mixed dentition in the infant population studied.

Keywords : Infraocclusion; Ankylosis; Severity of infraocclusion; Distribution of infraocclusion.