Elimination of dental malocclusion risk factors in elementary school children, Matanzas 2002.

Abstract

With the objective to eliminate the risk factors of dental malocclusion, 84 children were checked up from the 1 st grade in the Marcelo Salado Primary School from Cardenas. 79 of them presented risk factors of dental malocclusion. We devided our task into two directions: in those who presented deforming habits of their mouth, we held educative meetings that involved teachers and parents and in those who presented clinical factors we did different clinical activities according to the cases: such as obturations of dental caries, oclusal adjustments to eliminate the interferences of the dental cuspids and placed keepers of space. Besides, in children with the habits of infantile deglution we placed lingual blockaders. In this way we eliminated deforming habits of the children' s mouths in 78,3 % of them. The clinical factors were eliminated almost totally, except in two children that did not cooperate with the treatment, in general we could eliminate all the risk factors of dental malocclusion in 64 children that represents 81% of the ones affected.