Tooth occlusion pattern of the hausas in Zaria, Nigeria

Abstract

The study was carried out to deduce the tooth occlusion pattern among the Hausas in Zaria, Nigeria. A total of 384 subjects made up of 184 males and 200 females within the ages of 20-49 years participated in this study. Data was collected by means of questionnaire. Results revealed that mild overbite type is the commonest (male = 33.6%, female = 32.6%) which was followed by edge to edge bite (male = 13.3%, female = 10.4%). The incidence of the severe overbite was observed more in males (3.4%) than females (2.1%). The incidence of negative overbite was observed more in females (2.9%) than males (1.8%). The results showed no significant gender difference (p≥0.05) in the tooth occlusion pattern. The tooth occlusion pattern of the Hausas in Zaria, Nigeria is such that some occlusion types are relatively more common in females than the male counterparts and vice versa. The mild overbite type of occlusion is the commonest among the Hausas in Zaria, Nigeria. The negative overbite is the least common tooth occlusion pattern among the Hausas in Zaria, Nigeria.

Key words: Nigeria; Occlusion; Pattern; Tooth; Zaria