PRESENTED BY FOLARIN, ROYHAAN OLAMIDE PRESENTED BY FOLARIN, ROYHAAN OLAMIDE TO THE HUMAN ANATOMY DEPARTMENT, UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN.

1.Prologue 2.Societal Regards 3.Incidence Rates 4.Safety in children 5.Aetiologies & Remedies 6.Post-retention studies of redressed patients 7.Understanding the Remedies 8.Deciding on Cosmetic Dentistry 9.Recommendations 10.References 2

Diastema is defined as a Space or Gap between two teeth {Encarta dictionary, 2009} Etymology & Definition Occurs both in Humans and Animals {Wikipedia, 2009} 3

4 SOCIETAL REGARDS

Many still want it changed or closed 5

European patients with Broad midline diastema {according to a 1995 study} were perceived as being Less socially successful, and Of lower intelligence, {Oesterle and Shelhart, 1999} to an extent that... 6

Maxillary midline diastema Was equated with But deemed worse than Crowding Excessive overjet or Protruding incisors {Oesterle and Shelhart, 1999} 7

Many Nigerians have it created. {Wikipedia 2009} The French have consider it Dents du Bonheur teeth of luck {Encarta dictionary, 2009} It thus varies in perception; a.culturally, b.racially, and c.with its incidence within a given population. 8

Approximately; 98% in 6 year olds, 49% in 11 year olds and 7% in 12–18 year olds. {Campbell and Kindelan, 2006} 5.5% in blacks, 3.4% in whites, and 1.7% in people of Chinese descent {Oesterle and Shellhart, 1999}Shellhart 26% in black boys, 19% in black girls, 17% in white boys, and 12% in white girls {Oesterle and Shellhart, 1999} Shellhart 1.6% in nearly 10,000 South Indians {Oesterle and Shellhart, 1999} Shellhart 9

8% of at least 0.5mm wide MMD in 183 white male Navy recruits {Oesterle and Shellhart, 1999} Shellhart / heritable in whites and / in blacks {Oesterle and Shellhart, 1999}Shellhart Over 5 times more frequent than mandibular midline diastemas in 9,774 samples of Madras, now Chennai {Oesterle and Shellhart, 1999}Shellhart 10

MMD and mild lower incisor crowding are normal during the mixed dentition phase of normal dental development. {Oesterle and Shellhart, 1999} Shellhart The majority of the MMDs close after Maxillary canine eruption, requiring no intervention by a dentist. Those larger than 2mm and those in patients of generalized teeth spacing, are at risk of not closing with normal development. 11

In descending order of frequency 1.Tooth-size discrepancies 2.Excessive anterior vertical overlap 3.Mesiodistal angulation 4.Generalized spacing; a.Muscles b.Tongue position c.Missing or impacted teeth 5.Labiolingual angulation 6.Frenums 7.Pathological conditions 12 Braces are available to move the teeth back into contact.

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