Abstract Context: Developmental dental anomalies are relatively common. These anomalies are related to genetic and environmental factors. The simultaneous occurrence of these anomalies may be genetically determined and can be associated with specific syndromes. Dental anomalies can increase the risk of caries and periodontitis and can lead to endodontic, aesthetic or orthodontic problems. If undiscovered, they can complicate orthodontic treatment and affect the treatment outcome. Most of these kind of studies have been based on birth certificates, reports of malformation centers or public hospital records. Very few studies are carried out in children and adolescence. Here study is conducted to determine the prevalence of orofacial anomalies in children. Settings and Design: After approval from the institutional ethical committee, 200 School children were examined in their schools, on the ordinary chair, using dental mirror, tongue depressor and natural light. A simple random sampling technique procedure was used to select the students. The diagnosis of orofacial anomalies was made according to the clinical criteria. Soft tissue anomalies included were: developemental disturbances of lip, palate, buccal mucosa and tongue. In hard tissue, developemental disturbances in tooth size, shape, structure and number. Results: Of 200 patients, 58 % showed no dental anomaly, whereas the rest 42% (13% of hard tissue and 29% of soft tissue) exhibited at least one dental anomaly either of hard or soft tissue anomalies. To conclude when compared hard tissue anomalies prevalence of soft tissue anomalies are more. No significant correlation between the gender and dental anomalies was found.
Keywords: Anomalies; Genetic; Prevalence.