Journal of Applied Oral Science (Dec 2007)

Prenatal and neonatal variables associated with enamel hypoplasia in deciduous teeth in low birth weight preterm infants

  • Kátia Maria Dmytraczenko Franco,
  • Sérgio Roberto Peres Line,
  • Maria Valeriana Leme de Moura-Ribeiro

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1590/S1678-77572007000600012
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15, no. 6
pp. 518 – 523

Abstract

Read online

This study investigated possible prenatal and neonatal variables that may influence the prevalence of tooth enamel hypoplasia in preterm and low birth weight children (LBW) and a matched control group of term children with normal birth weight (NBW). The study sample consisted of 61 children born preterm and with LBW examined at 18-34 months of age. The control group was formed by 61 infants born full term and with NBW examined at 31-35 months of age. All children were born at the Center of Integrated Attention of Women's Health (CAISM-UNICAMP). FDI criteria were followed for dental examination. Medical data was collected retrospectively from hospital records. Among preterms, 57.4% had some type of developmental defects of enamel (DDE), 52.5 % had opacities and 21.3 % presented hypoplasia. Among full-term children, 24.6% presented DDE, 24.6% had opacities and 3.3% had hypoplasia. LBW preterm infants presented a higher prevalence of hypoplasia than NBW controls. The deciduous teeth most affected by hypoplasia were maxillary incisors. There was no significant association with prenatal variables; among neonatal variables there was a significant association with respiratory distress syndrome and neurological examination at discharge with an altered result.

Keywords