Prevalence of Dental Caries in Patients With Dental Crowding

Dental crowding causes limited access for the toothbrush, and the natural cleansing effect of the teeth by the tongue and saliva is also limited. This malposition allows for prolonged food accumulation, bacterial and plaque retention, which are important factors for the initiation and progression of dental caries .

According to the World Health Organization, the main dental problems should be subjected to periodic epidemiological surveys. Knowledge of a population's epidemiological situation is vital for planning and providing prevention and treatment services .

However, only few studies investigated the correlation between caries and crowding.Yet, their findings were inconsistent and still contradictory.

Previous systematic review concluded that there is no reliable evidence regarding the association between dental caries and crowding and further studies with adequate sample size are required. Another systematic review found an association between caries and crowding but only in the adolescent group .

As caries is a preventable disease, improving the understanding of this possible association would be beneficial for dental practitioners, public health policy makers and the general population as it will help in the application of medical model.