Developmental Enamel Defects of the Primary Dentition in Children with Low and Normal Weight Birth

Statement of problem: Low birth weight (LBW) infants are subjected to a variety of metabolic stresses and exhibit a higher prevalence of oral-dental disturbances than normal infants. Factors such as metabolic disorders, hypoxia, prolonged neonatal jaundice, nutritional deficiencies and low serum calcium have been implicated as causes of enamel defects in LBW infants. These enamel defects lead to the alteration of primary teeth with subsequent problems such as esthetic concerns, dental caries and dentofacial problems. The aim of this study was to compare the developmental enamel defects in the children with lower than normal weight at birth (less than 2500 gr) and children with normal birth weight In this retrospective (expose–fact) study, 181 children (95 girls and 86 boys) aged 3 to 5 years were examined. The data were collected using infants birth files and questionnaires based on the general information, birth time and weight as well as medical examination. Dental examination was performed by two examiners. Developmental Enamel Defect Index was used to classify the enamel defects. Data were statistically analyzed by SPSS13. Kappa test was used for evaluating validity between examiners (Kappa≥0.8) and two-sampling proportional test by means of Mini Tab software was used for data analysis. Enamel defects were more in children with low birth weight compared to the normal children (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in hypocalcification and hypoplasia between girls and boys with LBW and also between girls and boys with normal birth weight (p>0.05). Enamel defects were most common in both groups on the canine teeth (% 51.3) followed by incisors, first molar and second molar teeth. Based on the results of the present study, without considering etiologic factors, hypocalcification and hypoplasia was noticed more in children with low birth weight. Further studies are needed to evaluate the relationship of enamel defects and various causative factors in these children.