Malocclusion-“An emerging disease of urbanized civilization”

All these years the dental health professionals have focused primarily on dental caries, periodontal diseases and oral cancer while ignoring malocclusion which qualifies as major emerging public health problem owing to its high prevalence and incidence in all regions of the world. The increase in malocclusion in modern time parallels industrialization and urbanization. Numerous animal experiments and human studies have established a relation between the "disease of civilization" and diet consistency and various nutritional deficiencies. These also affect the growth and development of craniofacial complex, time of eruption and exfoliation as well as the alignment, shape, appearance, and histology of the deciduous and permanent teeth.