1 New York State Department of Health, Albany
Possible associations between selected natality variables and malocclusion were investigated, using birth certificates and clinical examination records of 1,413 high school children in New York state. A significant association was demonstrated between season of birth and the subsequent presence of malocclusion; an excess of children with occlusal disorders were born in the second quarter of the year (April-June). This observation, together with the relatively high prevalence of malocclusion in the population, suggests that adverse environmental factors during the pre- and perinatal period may occur more frequently than was previously believed and may be important in the development of occlusal disorders.
Submitted on November 6, 1967