Relationship between the Presence of Demarcated Opacities and Hypoplasia in Permanent Teeth and Caries in Their Primary Predecessors

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship between the presence of demarcated opacities and hypoplasia on permanent teeth and the caries status of the primary predecessor teeth in a cohort of Chinese children. Methods: The study sample consisted of 250 children living in a non-fluoridated area in Southern China whose caries status of primary teeth at the age of 3–6 years had been recorded annually in a previous study. A follow-up examination of their permanent teeth was conducted when they were about 12 years old. The presence of enamel defects was determined by consensus of 2 dentists according to the modified DDE index. Results: 56.8% of the 250 children examined had demarcated opacities, while 10.8% of them had hypoplasia. Demarcated opacities and hypoplasia were found in 5.8 and 1.3% of the teeth examined, respectively. A higher prevalence of demarcated opacities was found in those permanent teeth of which their primary predecessor teeth had caries than in those without (7.5 vs. 3.8%, p < 0.001). A similar finding was obtained for the prevalence of hypoplasia (1.9 vs. 0.4%, p < 0.001). Conclusion: There was an association between caries in primary teeth and the presence of demarcated opacities and hypoplasia in their permanent successors.

Dental Caries and Enamel Defects in Very Low Birth Weight Adolescents

“…Demarcated opacities in the permanent teeth have also been reported to be twice more likely if caries had been present in the primary precursor [Lo et al, 2003;Broadbent et al, 2005;Arrow, 2009]. Thus, it is probable that the LR-VLBW adolescents with demarcated opacities could have had a carious primary precursor tooth that was not possible to assess in this study.…”

“…Demarcated opacities in early erupting permanent teeth (incisors and first molars) are associated with neonatal risk factors [Jalevik et al, 2001;Arrow, 2009] while diffuse opacities are associated with infant fluoride [Pendrys, 1999] and amoxicillin exposure [Hong et al, 2005]. Demarcated opacities in permanent teeth have been associated with caries in the precursor primary teeth [Lo et al, 2003;Broadbent et al, 2005;Arrow, 2009].…”

Infant Growth and the Occurrence of Developmental Defects of Enamel in 12-Year-Olds

“…For example, dental caries in a primary tooth has been found to be an aetiological factor for the presence of demarcated opacities in their permanent successors [Lo et al, 2003]. It has also been reported that children who manifest rapid growth tend to have their teeth erupt earlier than normal children [Soliman et al, 2012].…”

Prevention and management of dental decay in the pre-school child

“…What is clear is that the status of the primary dentition can predict caries in permanent teeth [8][9][10] and therefore most of the recommendations are either: to intervene early or prevent carious lesions; carry out caries risk assessments; or specific dietary recommendations. For example, recommendations include toothbrushing with fluoride toothpaste (even for children under 2 years old, with a smear size amount of fluoride) and oral health promotion programmes for parents and continued postnatal care -a recommendation based on evidence from nonanalytical studies (case reports or case series) that in fact represents evidence from clinical trials.…”