Premolar Agenesis Prevalence and Patterns in a Sample of Turkish Children

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the characteristics of premolar tooth agenesis patterns in Turkish children and confirm a valid cutoff age. Methods: Included in this study were panoramic radiographs of 3637 Turkish pediatric patients aged 7–12 years (1819 males and 1818 females), whose panoramic radiographs were taken. The prevalence of premolar hypodontia, sex distribution, distribution of premolar hypodontia in the maxilla and mandible, unilateral/bilateral incidences and cutoff ages were examined in radiographs. Results: The prevalence rate of agenesis of one or more premolars was 3.1% (n = 111) for both sexes combined, and 1.4% for boys and 1.6% for girls, with no significant difference between the sexes (p = 0.498). No significant difference was observed between younger and older groups at the cutoff ages examined. Conclusion: An early diagnosis of premolar agenesis enables ideal and conservative treatment planning, which may involve less invasive treatment options for patients diagnosed in the early period. For these reasons, the awareness of dentists regarding these treatments should be enhanced. Therefore, there is a need for more studies regarding the prevalence of this condition, which will provide important clinical value in the timely diagnosis of hypodontia.