Abstract

Early signs of malocclusion, if picked up by the general practitioner, will save the child several lengthy and complex treatments later on in life. 

An account of common anomalies of teeth form, shape, size, position, number, development, prolonged retention, and early shedding of primary teeth among others, will be given in this article; to help the general practitioner to spot the early signs of malocclusion and to act or to refer to the Specialist for advice/treatment before the severity and complexity of the case increases. 

These developmental anomalies can affect both the primary and the permanent dentitions and their etiological factors are complex and very often are of a genetic, environmental, and multifactorial origin. If not picked up early, they might require surgical interventions and complex treatment approaches and might end up with limited results and higher risks.

Some common interceptive approaches have been included with brief overviews of the actual treatments and the etiological factors involved in the development of such anomalies.

In this article, we are aiming at shedding some light on a few common features of Malocclusion that is necessary to be observed and detected early in the early/mixed dentition stages, in order to help avoiding complex treatments later in life. 

Keywords: Early Signs; Malocclusion; General Dental Practitioner

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