European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

The midline diastema is a space (or gap) between the maxillary central incisors.Midline diastema in mixed dentition is the so-called “ugly duckling” stage for children. The space can be characteristic of normal growth in primary and mixed dentition. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of developmental maxillary midline diastema in different age groups of children. A retrospective cross sectional study was conducted by collecting the patient records and dental radiographs from June 2019 to march 2020. The maxillary radiographs of children of age group 6-12 years were collected, measured the midline width and statistically analyzed. The results proved that maximum midline diastema width was seen in the age group 6-8years. Within the limitation of the current study, prevalence of maxillary midline diastema decreases with age. Midline diastema is usually a part of normal dental development and hence its presence during the mixed dentition period is not a matter of concern. However, if the diastema is present even after the eruption of lateral incisors and canine, an orthodontic intervention will be necessary.