Developmental defects of enamel in primary teeth and association with early life course events: a study of 6–36 month old children in Manyara, Tanzania

The risk of dental caries seems to be greater in the presence of developmental defects of enamel (DDE). The aim was to determine whether the presence of DDE in the primary teeth of preschool children increases the risk of dental caries in the primary dentition after a period of approximately 2 years. This study was conducted in two stages: baseline (T0) and follow-up (T1). At T0, examinations were conducted for the diagnosis of enamel defects using the DDE index (FDI, 1992), dental caries, and oral hygiene. The participants were allocated to two groups according to the presence (affected) or absence (unaffected) of DDE. At the second evaluation (T1), examinations were performed for the diagnosis of dental caries. Poisson regression analysis with a multilevel approach was used to determine the association between DDE and dental caries. The two levels of the analysis were tooth and child. Among the 339 children (113 affected and 226 unaffected) examined at baseline (T0), 325 were re-examined at follow-up (T1). According to the multilevel analysis, teeth with enamel hypoplasia had a greater risk of having dental caries (RR: 1.99; 95% CI: 1.19–3.33). The risk of caries was greater on posterior teeth (RR: 2.59; 95% CI: 2.18–3.07) and maxillary teeth (RR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.26–1.75) that had DDE at T0. On the child level, dental caries at T1 was associated with having dental caries at T0 (RR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.32–1.46). In conclusion, enamel hypoplasia and previous dental caries are risk factors for carious lesions in the primary dentition.

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Perinatal factors associated with developmental defects of enamel in primary teeth: a case-control study

Brazilian Oral Research ◽

10.1590/s1806-83242013005000017 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 363-368 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Patricia Correa-Faria ◽

Paulo Antonio Martins-Junior ◽

Raquel Goncalves Vieira-Andrade ◽

Leandro Silva Marques ◽

Maria Leticia Ramos-Jorge

Keyword(s):

Primary Teeth ◽

Case Control Study ◽

Case Control ◽

Perinatal Factors ◽

Developmental Defects ◽

Factors Associated ◽

Developmental Defects Of Enamel ◽

Control Study

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The Oral Health of Children with Clefts of the Lip, Palate, or Both

The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal ◽

10.1597/1545-1569_2001_038_0525_tohocw_2.0.co_2 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 38 (5) ◽

pp. 525-528 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

J. R. Chapple ◽

J. H. Nunn

Keyword(s):

Oral Health ◽

Dental Caries ◽

National Survey ◽

Primary Teeth ◽

Dental Health ◽

Oral Disease ◽

Permanent Teeth ◽

Developmental Defects ◽

Aggressive Approach ◽

Developmental Defects Of Enamel

Objective: The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of dental caries, developmental defects of enamel, and related factors in children with clefts. Design: This cross-sectional prevalence study used standard dental indices for assessment. Setting: Children underwent a dental examination under standard conditions of seating and lighting in the outpatient department of a dental hospital as part of an ongoing audit to monitor clinical outcomes. Participants: Ninety-one children aged 4, 8, and 12 years were included in the study. Outcome Measurements Dental caries were assessed by use of the decayed, missing, and filled index for primary teeth (dmft); Decayed, Missing, and Filled index for permanent teeth (DMFT) according to the criteria as used in the national survey of children's dental health in the United Kingdom (O'Brien, 1994). Developmental defects were assessed using the modified Developmental Defects of Enamel Index (Clarkson and O'Mullane, 1989). Dental erosion was assessed using the criteria derived for the national survey of children's dental health (O'Brien, 1994). Results: Caries prevalence increased with age; 63% of patients at 4 years and 34% at 12 years were caries free. The mean dmft for the 4-year-olds was 1.3 with a mean DMFT for the 12-year-olds of 1.8. All the 4-year-olds had evidence of erosion of enamel in the primary teeth (incisors and first molars) and 56% of the 12-year-olds had erosion of permanent teeth (incisors and first permanent molars). Developmental defects of enamel became more prevalent with age, with at least one opacity in 56% of 4-year-olds and 100% of 12-year-olds. Hypoplasia was not found in the primary dentition but affected permanent teeth in 38% of 8-year-olds and 23% of the 12-year-olds. Conclusion: This study has shown that dental disease is prevalent in these patients. These assessments not only provide a baseline on oral health parameters in young people with clefts but underline the need for a more aggressive approach to prevention of oral disease to optimize clinical outcome.

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Does Caries in Primary Teeth Predict Enamel Defects in Permanent Teeth? A Longitudinal Study

Journal of Dental Research ◽

10.1177/154405910508400310 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 84 (3) ◽

pp. 260-264 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

J.M. Broadbent ◽

W.M. Thomson ◽

S.M. Williams

Keyword(s):

Dental Caries ◽

Primary Teeth ◽

Economic Status ◽

Permanent Teeth ◽

Primary Tooth ◽

Water Fluoridation ◽

Developmental Defects ◽

Health And Development ◽

Maxillary Incisors ◽

Developmental Defects Of Enamel

The notion that caries in primary teeth causes developmental defects of enamel in permanent teeth has been recently revived. The research objective was to test this hypothesis through analysis of data from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a longstanding prospective cohort study. The maxillary incisors of 663 children were assessed for existing restorations and dental caries at age five and for developmental defects of enamel at age nine. Where a primary tooth had been carious, the permanent successor was more likely to have a demarcated opacity after adjustment for gender, family socio-economic status, years of exposure to water fluoridation, trauma to primary teeth, and early loss of primary teeth (unadjusted OR = 2.3, 95% CI 1.3, 4.1; adjusted OR = 2.2, 95% CI 1.1, 4.3). These findings support a time-ordered association between dental caries in primary maxillary incisors and demarcated opacities in their permanent successors.

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