Abstract
Background: Orthodontists need to evaluate intermaxillary tooth size discrepancy (TSD) prior
to initiating treatment in order to achieve a stable treatment. Thus, the aim of the
present study was to determine the prevalence of TSD in Libyan subjects among different
malocclusion groups.
Methods: A sample of 60 dental casts of Libyan subjects with different types of malocclusions
(Class I, Class II div 1 and Class III) were included in the study. Each malocclusion
group (20 dental casts) included equal numbers of males and females, 12-17 years of
age. Mesio-Distal tooth measurements were extracted to compute the anterior and overall
TSD ratios. Paired Student t-test was used to detect significant discrepancies between
the paired teeth measurements. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey Honestly tests
were undertaken to detect significant discrepancies among the malocclusion groups.
Results: Paired t-test revealed that there were no significant discrepancies between the paired
tooth widths except for the upper first molars, upper first premolars, lower lateral
incisors and lower canines (P<0.010). ANOVA found no significant differences in the
mean anterior TSD ratio in regard to malocclusion groups. However, a significant disparity
was noticed in the mean overall TSD ratio among the different malocclusion categories
(P<0.04).
Conclusion: Statistically significant TSD between the examined malocclusion groups were observed
only in the mean overall TSD ratio.
Key-words:
Libyan - malocclusion - orthodontics - tooth size discrepancy
