Prevalence of impacted canines in orthodontic patients – a radiographic study

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of impacted canines among the orthodontic patients, and to examine the distribution of impactions in relation to gender (male vs. female), affected jaw (upper vs. lower), type of impaction (unilateral vs. bilateral) and affected side of the jaw (right vs. left). Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted using digital panoramic radiographs of 3432 patients (1467 males and 1965 females) who attended the Department of Orthodontics, University of Sarajevo – Faculty of Dentistry with Dental Clinical Center. The radiographs were screened to determine the position of the canines, its angulation and relationship with adjacent teeth and surrounding structures. All data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and differences between categorical variables, (such as gender /male and female/, affected jaw /upper vs. lower/, type of impaction/unilateral vs. bilateral/, and affected side of the jaw /right vs. left/) were tested using the chi-squared and Z-test. Results: In the sample of orthodontic patients, impacted canines were found in 3.82% subjects. The prevalence was higher in females (2.24%) compared to males (1.57%). The majority of the impacted canines were unilateral (3.29%) compared to bilateral (0.52%). The ratio of maxillary to mandibular impaction was 17.714:1 in favor of maxillary impactions. Conclusion: Impacted canines were found in 131 out of 3432 patients (3.82%). Females (2.24%) demonstrated a higher impaction rate than males (1.57%). However, the difference was not statistically significant.