Retrospective Study of Malocclusions Related to Canine Eruption Pathology in Children from Oltenia Region, Romania

Malocclusions are increasingly prevalent worldwide, and impacted maxillary canines (1-3% in general populations) remain a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge. A similar study was needed in the Oltenia Region, Romania. Background/Objectives: To deter-mine the prevalence of malocclusions and canine eruption disturbances in children aged 6-14 years, and to analyse their association with sex, age, malocclusion type and man-dibular prognathism. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 640 children (323 boys, 317 girls) were examined clinically. Malocclusions were classified by dento-alveolar dis-harmony and German-school syndromes, and orthopantomography was requested when canine ectopy was suspected. Canine pathology was recorded as buccal or palatal ectopy or included canine. Data were analysed with chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests and binary logistic regression. Results: Malocclusions were present in 206 children (32.2%), 129 aged 6-10 and 77 aged 11-14 years. The most frequent were dento-alveolar disharmony with crowding (31.6%) and maxillary compression with protrusion (25.2%). Their distribution did not differ by sex (p = 0.784) or age (p = 0.834). Among these 206 children, 32 (15.5%) had impacted canines: 30 with canine ectopy (14.6%; 14 palatal, 16 buccal) and two with included canines. Impaction and ectopy were markedly more frequent at 11-14 than at 6-10 years (37.7% vs 2.3% and 35.1% vs 2.3%, respectively; both p < 0.0005) and did not differ by sex. Ectopy was found in 14 of 65 children with crowding and 16 of 141 without (OR ≈ 2.14, 95% CI 0.98-4.71; p = 0.054), a borderline, non-significant association. No other malocclusion type was associated with ectopy. The logistic regression models were non-significant and limited by the small number of events. Conclusions: Age was the main factor associated with canine eruption disturb-ances, reflecting the timing for canine eruption and diagnosis. Dental crowding was the most incriminated local factor, although its association remained statistically inconclu-sive. These exploratory findings support careful clinical and radiographic monitoring of canine eruption between 11 and 14 years, particularly in children with crowding or re-duced space for natural alignment of dental units.