ABSTRACT
To study the pattern and management of hypodontia in the permanent dentition, excluding the third molars, in a sample of Jordanian orthodontic patients. A total of 1200 orthodontic patients [600 females and 600 males] was examined for evidence of hypodontia at Prince Rashid Ben Al- Hassan Hospital during the period between July 2008 and September 2010. Intraoral examination, pre treatment records, and orthopantomographic study were used for the diagnosis of tooth agenesis. Our study group comprised 116 non-syndromic hypodontic patients [74 females and 42 males], with an age range of 10-25 years [mean age 17 years 8 months]. A hypodontia prevalence of 9.7% was found for the total study group [6.2% for females and 3.5% for males] with a statistically significant difference between both gender [P<0.05]. The most frequently missing teeth were the maxillary lateral incisors [41.1%], followed by the mandibular second premolars [28.5%]. Hypodontia was found more often in the maxilla [62%] and symmetrical hypodontia was predominant. Most patients [82.8%] had hypodontia of one or two teeth, whereas oligodontia was found in 3.5%. Accurate diagnosis of hypodontia is the key to orthodontic treatment planning and eventual treatment itself. Furthermore, additional knowledge of dental development will contribute valuable insights for novel therapeutic regiments in the future so that we can move from a mode of diagnosis and treatment to one of prediction and prevention.