Diastemas in the primary dentition

Parents can occasionally present with their children asking about gaps between their teeth. You must assure them that spaces between primary teeth are normal. These are a good sign and often indicate a favourable eruption of the permanent incisors with less chance of crowding as permanent teeth barring the premolars are wider mesiodistally than their corresponding primary teeth. There are two types of spaces:

-Physiological spaces which appear between any of the primary teeth. These provide valuable space to fit the erupting permanent teeth
-Primate spaces which appear mesial to the upper primary canines and distal to the lower primary canines. This space is important in developing a class 1 occlusion. When primate spaces are present the mandibular molars will drift mesially to close the lower primate space (early mesial shift). This will convert a flush terminal plane to a mesial step and allow the first permanent molars to erupt into a class 1 occlusion. When primate spaces are absent, the loss of the lower primary second molar before the upper will allow the lower first permanent molar to drift mesially into the leeway space and develop a class 1 occlusion (late mesial shift).

It is important to reassure parents that the spaces between their child's teeth are normal and caution those without spaces that careful monitoring of the development of the occlusion is required to allow timely intervention