Prevalência de arcos tipos (l, ll e misto) de Baume e espaços primatas em crianças da faixa etária de 24 a 50 meses, que frequentam as unidades de saúde e creches da cidade de Ponta Grossa

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of type I, II and mixed arches and primate spaces in children that attended Health Centers in Ponta Grossa, Brazil. The sample consisted of 219 children of both genders between 24 and 50 months old. The inclusion selection criteria used was: presence of 20 deciduous teeth with no visible interproximal caries lesions, no open nor crossbite and with no previous arch treatment. Primate spaces were present on the four hemiarchs in 65% of the sample; also, the prevalence of primate spaces on the upper arch was higher (16%) than the lower (3%). Differences in the frequency of the arch types were minor, with discrete predominance of the type I arch and equal prevalence of type II arch and mixed. The distribution of the arch types and primate space in both groups (24 to 36 months and 37 to 50 months) was homogeneous. Concerning gender, there was no statistical significant difference between male and females. It is suggested that service given by Public Health centers to preschoolers should encourage education and parent orientation on the preventive attention to this children, with trained and specialized personal. These measures could contribute to the improvement of the oral health quality significantly, reducing future malocclusion incidence.