 Corresponding author: Tolulase Abosede Yemitan Department of Child Dental Health, Faculty of Dentistry, Lagos State University College of Medicine/Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. Copyright © 2022 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article. This article is published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Liscense 4.0. Prevalence of malocclusion in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis Tolulase Abosede Yemitan 1, * and Afolabi Ola Oyapero 2 1 Department of Child Dental Health, Faculty of Dentistry, Lagos State University College of Medicine/Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. 2 Department of Preventive Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Lagos State University College of Medicine/Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, Lagos, Nigeria. Magna Scientia Advanced Research and Reviews, 2022, 05(01), 030–035 Publication history: Received on 10 April 2022; revised on 01 June 2022; accepted on 03 June 2022 Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.30574/msarr.2022.5.1.0041 Abstract Objective: Data available on prevalence of malocclusions are mostly local or national-based, therefore this study aimed to pool data to determine the distribution of malocclusion traits in the permanent dentition across the African continent. Methods: Recent studies published between 1990 and 2021 in PubMed, AJOL, PMC and Scopus on malocclusion prevalence in permanent dentition were reviewed. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using STROBE criteria. Results: Out of 82,474 retrieved studies, 11 were included. In permanent dentition, the African prevalence of malocclusion was 76.1% (45 – 95.6%). The distributions of Class I, Class II, and Class III malocclusion were 76.7% [50– 96%], 9.7% [1.6–25.4%] and 4.0% [1–12%], respectively. Regarding vertical malocclusions, the observed deep overbite and open bite were 10.9% and 6.5%, respectively. Crossbites affected 9.8% of the sample. Conclusion: In Africa, Angle Class I malocclusion is more prevalent in permanent dentition, the least prevalent was Class III. This information should advice policymakers, dentists, and orthodontists across Africa on policies and clinical strategies on prevention of malocclusion. Keywords: Prevalence; Malocclusion; Africa; Population; Dentition 1. Introduction Worldwide, malocclusion is ranked as third highest among oral pathologies and public health disease priorities [1]. Malocclusion was defined as an imperfect alignment of the teeth or a mal-relationship of the dental arches beyond the range of what is accepted as normal [2]. This misalignment impacts dentofacial aesthetics, psychosocial wellbeing, and daily living [3]. There are many aetiological factors proposed for malocclusion, including genetic, environmental, and ethnic factors [4]. The heritability of certain types of malocclusions, such as Class III relationship, suggests a strong relationship between genetics and malocclusion [5]. Likewise, the ethnic factor was supported with the tendency for bimaxillary protrusion to affect the African origin more frequently than other ethnicities [6]. Furthermore, the adaptation of dentitions, bone, and soft tissue to environmental factors may result in different malocclusions [7].