The Prevalence of Impacted Maxillary Canines in a Palestinian Population: A Retrospective Study

Objective: This study aims to estimate the prevalence of impacted maxillary canines using panoramic radiographs. Methods: A sample of 1321 panoramic radiographs were retrospectively examined for the presence of impacted maxillary canines. The radiographs were obtained from the records of a private dental clinic from the year 2009 till 2016. Results: The prevalence of impacted canines among the examined population (n = 1321) was found to be 1.8%. There was a significant association between gender and canine impaction (P < 0.05), indicating that in the study population, the females had a higher prevalence of canine impaction than males. Unilateral impaction accounted for 79% of the cases that showed at least one impacted maxillary canine while the bilateral impaction of the maxillary canines accounted for 20% of 24 cases that had at least one impacted maxillary canine. The results revealed significantly (P < 0.05) higher unilateral canine impaction compared to bilateral impaction. Fifty-eight percent of the unilateral cases were on the right side while 42% were on the left side. No significant (P > 0.05) difference in the prevalence of right or left canine impaction was found. Conclusion: The prevalence of impacted maxillary canines (1.8%) in this study was within the range reported among other populations.