Profiles, occlusal plane relationships and spacing of teeth in the dentitions of 3 to 4 year old children.

A study of 1026, 3 to 4 year old children in nursery schools and day-care centers was done to assess the profile, occlusal relationships and the presence of spacing or crowding of teeth in south India. Males had a higher incidence of convex profiles, while females showed a higher incidence of straight profiles, but it was not statistically significant. Flush terminal planes was the most commonly observed molar relationship in both the sexes. Seventy-five percent of both the sexes showed presence of both physiologic and primate spaces in both the jaws; and 3% of the population under study were devoid of spacing and had closed dental arches. Comparison between the profiles and terminal plane relationships it was observed that convex profiles were significantly correlated with flush and distal step terminal planes in both the sexes.