Introduction:

malocclusion is a highly prevalent disorder worldwide that mainly affects child population. This condition is considered a multifactorial health problem in which genetic and environmental factors intervene.

Objective:

to identify risk factors associated with malocclusion in the Ecuadorian population specifically in Cuenca canton.

Method:

a cross-sectional study was carried out in 53 children aged 5 to 12 years, in which a survey was applied to the representatives and a clinical record was carried out through clinical observation in children. These documents were prepared based on the bibliographic review of risk factors for malocclusion. Subsequently, a descriptive statistical analysis was carried out using frequency tables, as well as inferential statistics was applied using the odds ratio (OR) and chi-square tests in order to determine the association of the different risk factors with malocclusion.

Results:

71.69% of the sample had malocclusion. Oral habits (p = 0), atypical swallowing (p = 0.008) and presence of hypertrophic tonsils (p = 0.002) were the main risk factors associated with malocclusion. In addition, the presence of oral habits increases 34 times the possibility of developing malocclusion (OR 34), followed by the presence of altered nostrils (OR 21.46), atypical swallowing (OR 14.52) and mouth breathing (OR 12.6).

Conclusions:

the presence of oral habits, mouth breathing and atypical swallowing are risk factors associated with the establishment of malocclusion; their presence increases the risk of developing malocclusion.