Journal of Dental Research, Vol 63, 59-64, Copyright © 1984 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
Distribution of enamel defects and the association with respiratory distress in very low birthweight infants
D. Johnsen, C. Krejci, M. Hack and A. Fanaroff
Although dental defects have long been observed among surviving pre-term
infants, only few systematic studies address this problem. In a clinic
limited to recall of infants of very low birthweight (less than 1.5 kg),
enamel hypoplasia of primary incisors was found in 14/67 (21%) children,
and enamel opacities were found in an additional 31% of the children. In
contrast, enamel hypoplasia and opacities were found in 4% and 22%,
respectively, of a control group of 46 normal birthweight children. The
difference was significant (p less than 0.05) for the hypoplasia but not
for the opacities. Primary incisor enamel hypoplasia was more commonly
noted in maxillary central incisors than in lateral incisors (X2 = 28.0, p
less than 0.01). Furthermore, hypoplasia was more common in maxillary
incisors than in mandibular incisors (X2 = 48.4, p less than 0.01). In
infants with dental defects, there was no significant correlation with
pregnancy risk factors, gestational age, birthweight, septicemia,
first-week caloric intake, serum bilirubin, or calcium. Infants with enamel
hypoplasia were more likely, however, to have severe respiratory distress
syndrome (X2 = 7.2, p less than 0.01), than infants with unaltered enamel.
Central incisor edge involvement may indicate post-natal processes and/or a
systemic disturbance extending back to the middle trimester of pregnancy.
