The Primary Canine – Molar Occlusal Relationship in 5 to 6 Years Old Boys in Rass City, Qassim Region of Saudi Arabia

Aim: To assess primary canine and molar occlusion in children 5 to 6 years of age in Rass city, Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: The study followed a cross-sectional design to include 296 Saudi boys aged 5 to 6 years in Rass city, Qassim region of Saudi Arabia. The sample was selected randomly from Primary schools utilizing a stratified cluster sampling approach. Each participant was assessed for an occlusal relationship for primary molars using the criteria of Baume and for primary canines using the criteria of Foster & Hamilton. The correlation between primary canine and molar relationship was assessed using chi-square test and p<0.05 was adopted as statistically significant. Results: A total of 296 male children were examined. About 57.4% had flush terminal plane, 36.8% mesial step and 5.7% distal step relationship. Class I canine relationship was observed in 80.7 % of cases while 7.77% and 12.16% of children had class II and class III relationship respectively. Flush terminal plane relationship coincided with class I canine in 67.5% of the children examined. Mesial step was associated with class III canine relationship in 83.3% and distal step with class II canine relationship in 47.8% of the cases. The relationship between molar and canine tooth occlusion in primary dentition was highly significant at p<0.001. Conclusion: A flush terminal plane relationship in primary molars and class I relationship in primary canines were the most common among 5 to 6 years old Saudi boys