Aim:
Permanent canines play a vital role in smile esthetics, arch integrity, and functional occlusion. Canines are more liable to eruption disturbances such as malposition, impaction and crowding because of their long eruption pathway and deep developmental position. Understanding the prevalence and distribution of malposed canines is essential for early diagnosis and successful orthodontic treatment.

Material and methods:
This study aims to evaluate the prevalence and distribution of malposed permanent canines in young adults according to gender, dental arch (maxillary and mandibular), position (buccal and lingual), laterality (right and left sides), and Angle’s classification of malocclusion (class I, II, and III).

Results:
A cross-sectional clinical study was conducted on 302 undergraduate dental students (170 males and 132 females) aged between 19–24 years. Each participant underwent a careful intra-oral clinical examination to determine the malposed canines. Canine malposition was recorded, and data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Conclusions:
This study found that 113 participants had malposed canines, giving an overall prevalence 37.4%. Females showed a higher prevalence (47.0%) of canine malposition than males (30.0%). Slightly more malposed canines in the mandibular arch (51.3%) than in the maxillary