Abstract
Background: Malocclusion may cause frequent biting of the inner cheeks or tongue, aesthetic issues, discomfort when chewing or biting, speech problems, or development of mouth breathing therefore affecting the overall quality of life. Aim: To estimate the prevalence of different degrees of malocclusion associated dental complications among children aged 6-12 years. Materials & Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 526 children aged 6-12 years old after consents obtained from their parents. The Saudi children were selected from certain cities using proportional allocation technique by dividing these cities into districts where children were selected from malls and gardens with high attendance rate. Results: Based on molar relation, the prevalence of malocclusion in children aged 6-12 (children with mixed dentition) was 35.4%, of them 55% had class II division I with or without subdivisions and 34% had class III with or without subdivisions. The remaining 11% of children had different types of malocclusion include class II division II and combination of class II and class III malocclusions. Normal bite was reported in 34.8% of the children, other types of bites include open bite, deep bite, edge to edge bite which were recorded in 40.1%, 21.3%, 3.8% of children respectively. Conclusion: This study found more than one third of Saudi children affected by different types and degrees of malocclusion, malalignment and crowding. Significant associations were detected between age of children and prevalence of malocclusion and crowding.