Normal Occlusal Patterns in the Deciduous Dentition in Preschool Children in Israel

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Abstract
Israeli school children (440) of both sexes 3 1/2-5 1/2 yrs. were examined to verify the occurrence and frequency distribution of the 2 occlusal patterns: one terminating in a vertical plane (P) and the other in a mesial step (S) formed in occlusion by the distal surfaces of the maxillary and mandibular deciduous 2nd molars. Correlation between these 2 types of occlusal patterns to abrasion, interdental spacing and overjet and overbite was statistically tested. The P- pattern was 2. 4 times more frequent than the S-pattern irrespective of sex. The occurrence of interdental spaces was not related to either of these patterns; the primate spaces were more often encountered in the S- pattern. Abrasion of dental cusps strongest in the region of the canines was positively related to the P- pattern. Overjet was bigger and overbite deeper in the P- pattern. The transition from these 2 patterns to the normal adult occlusion is brought about by different pathways of differential growth in the maxilla and the mandible underlying local changes within the dental arches.

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