Maxillary lateral incisor agenesis; a retrospective cross-sectional study

Abstract Objective: This study aims to estimate the prevalence of congenitally missing lateral incisors
in a sample of 2662 dental patients in Palestine.
Methods: A total of 2662 digital panoramic radiographs were retrospectively examined for the
presence of congenitally missing permanent lateral incisors. The radiographs were obtained from
the archival records of patients attending a local dental center at the city of Nablus in Palestine.
Results: The prevalence of missing lateral incisors among the examined population (n = 2662)
was found to be 1.91%. Unilateral agenesis accounted for 66.6% of the total cases that showed
at least one missing lateral incisor. Around 79% of the unilateral cases were on the left side while
21% were on the right side. Bilateral agenesis accounted for 33.3% of 34 cases that had at least one
congenitally missing permanent maxillary lateral incisor.
Conclusion: The prevalence of missing maxillary lateral incisors in this study population was
1.91%) which was within the range reported in different populations.