Enamel In Children Research Articles

Developmental Defects of Enamel in Children with Intellectual Disability.

To investigate the frequency of developmental defects of enamel (DDE) in children with intellectual disability. Children aged 5-18 years (72 children with intellectual disabilities and 72 controls) were included in the study. All the teeth were screened for developmental defects of enamel using the modified Developmental defects of enamel (mDDE) index. Out of the 72 children with intellectual disabilities in this study, 20 (27.78%) presented dental defects of enamel, compared with 8 (11.11%) of those in the control group, which was considered statistically significant (p = 0.021). The majority of children in both groups had white demarcated opacities. Children in both groups were more likely to have maxillary teeth affected than the mandibular teeth and the asymmetrical demarcated enamel defects were more common than the symmetric ones. Majority of opacities in children in both groups were on the maxillary incisors. Children with intellectual disabilities have more developmental defects of enamel than children in the control group. Enamel defects increase caries risk and cause reduction in enamel mechanical properties leading to restoration failures.

In vivo Scanning Electron Microscope Assessment of Enamel Permeability in Primary Teeth with and without Early Childhood Caries

Background: Over the years, certain primary teeth have been shown to be highly sensitive to dental caries, while others have remained caries-free. It has been hypothesized that this may be attributed to differences in the permeability of the enamel surface. Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the hypothesized differences in the permeability of primary tooth enamel in children with and those without Severe Early Childhood Caries (S-ECC) using scanning electron microscopy. Materials and Methods: Sixteen children between 3 and 6 years of age were randomly selected and divided into two groups: Group 1, children without S-ECC (n = 8), and Group 2, children with S-ECC (n = 8). In each child, 4 teeth (the maxillary right and left central and lateral incisors) were subjected to evaluation. An impression was made with polyvinylsiloxane impression material, and scanning electron microscopy was used to inspect the negative replicas for droplets. Results: The results indicated higher significance when individual regions (cervical, middle, and incisal thirds) in the two groups were evaluated and compared. Similarly, the overall results showed high statistical significance between S-ECC and non-S-ECC teeth. Conclusion: There could be a positive relationship between the permeability of tooth enamel and the development of caries, which needs further research.

Age-related differences of tooth enamel morphochemistry in health and dental caries.

Currently, dental caries is the main reason of patient visits to dentists. A great deal of scientific work is dedicated to the study of enamel caries. The reason for this is the necessity for more detailed study of the pathogenesis of dental caries and other pathological processes occurring in tooth enamel. The application of modern high-technological methods of research has made it possible to study enamel structure in detail. Hard dental tissues are composed of organic and inorganic components and water. The organic substance consists of proteins, lipids, and carbohydrates. At different ages, caries intensity may vary. The carious process often develops during the first months after the tooth eruption but much less in adulthood and old age. These processes are mainly associated with the mechanisms of ionic exchange between the oral cavity and hard dental tissues. Different groups of teeth are differently affected by the carious process. Previous studies have revealed that age is an important factor influencing on the structure and chemical composition of hard dental tissues. Various recent works at the Department of Therapeutic Dentistry of Voronezh N.N. Burdenko State Medical Academy (VSMA) have studied not only the structural-morphological features of the enamel in children and adults but also the level of metabolic processes inside it. As a result of aging, teeth change both the enamel structure and the level of its ionic processes, but unfortunately, these changes have not been well characterized in teeth with conventional age-specific differences.

Performance of a water defluoridation plant in a rural area in South Africa

The fluoride concentration of a borehole water supply in a rural area (Madibeng Local Municipality, North West Province, South Africa) varies between 5 and 6 mg/.. This water is therefore not suitable for potable purposes because the high fluoride concentration may cause mottling of tooth enamel in children and fluorosis in adults. Therefore, the fluoride concentration should be reduced to less than 1.5 mg/. to make the water suitable for potable purposes. The activated alumina and reverse osmosis processes are both processes that can be very effectively applied for water defluoridation. The activated alumina process, however, is considered to be a more simple and robust process for water defluoridation, especially in a rural area. Therefore, the activated alumina process was selected for water defluoridation. An activated alumina plant was designed, constructed and commissioned in the rural area. Fluoride in the feed water is removed from 6 to 8 mg/. to less than 1.5 mg/.. No reduction in plant output was experienced over 6 service cycles. Therefore, it appears that fouling of the activated alumina should not be a problem. Plant output varied between 940 and 1 296 m3 to a fluoride breakthrough of approximately 2.0 mg/.. No significant operational problems were experienced during commissioning and the plant is performing satisfactorily. Spent regenerant is disposed of into evaporation ponds. It was demonstrated that a 1st world technology could be effectively applied in a rural area with proper training and supervision of the operators. The capital and operational costs of the 200 m3/d defluoridation plant are estimated at approximately R1.2m. and R0.7/m3 treated water.

Prevalence of developmental defects of enamel in children and adolescents with asthma: A cross-sectional study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of developmental defects of enamel in children with asthma and its relation to specific characteristics of disease such as symptom onset, asthma severity and treatment initiation in pediatric asthma patients. Children and adolescents (104 asthma patients and 104 control subjects), 7-14 years of age and residents of the city of Chennai were enrolled in the study. Medical and dental histories were obtained through the use of structured questionnaire. Each participant underwent a dental examination in which the examiner applied the modified developmental defect index. The prevalence of DDE in this study was as follows: of the 104 asthma group subjects, 80 (76.9%) presented with dental enamel defects, compared with only 28 (26.9%) of those in the control group. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, the estimated risk of DDE in permanent dentition was 12 times higher in pediatric subjects with asthma than in those without asthma (OR - 12.526, P = 0.001). The occurrence of dental enamel defects correlated with greater asthma severity (P = 0.001) and earlier symptom onset (P = 0.001). However, dental enamel defects did not correlate with the timing of the initiation of treatment (P = 0.041). Pediatric asthma patients with severe, early onset asthma are at increased risk of dental enamel defects and therefore require priority dental care.

Developmental Defects of Enamel in Children of Davangere District and Their Relationship to Fluoride Levels in Drinking Water

To assess the prevalence and severity of developmental defects and their relationship to fluoride levels in drinking water. 739 (406 male and 333 female) schoolchildren aged 13 years formed the study population. We used the ion selective electrode method to estimate the fluoride concentration in drinking water. A modified developmental defects of enamel index was used for recording the developmental defects. The Karl Pearson coefficient for correlation and the chi-square test were used for statistical estimation. The fluoride concentration ranged from 0.64 to 2.64 ppm. The prevalence of developmental defects was 88.5%. The most common type of defect was diffuse opacity in 61.2% of the children. There was a significant positive correlation between the type (r=0.85; P<.001) and extent (r=0.92; P<.001) of developmental defects in relation to fluoride levels in drinking water. The observed prevalence demonstrates the need to ascertain factors other than fluoride levels in drinking water that could contribute to its occurrence.

Health effects of groundwater fluoride contamination

Introduction: The people in Berhait block, Sahibganj district, Jharkhand state, India, have been exposed chronically to fluoride-contaminated groundwater. Hereby, we report the clinical effects of chronic exposure to fluoride. Methods: The study population was a convenience sample of 342 adults and 258 children living in the affected area. All volunteers filled out questionnaires and were examined. Well water from the six affected villages and urine samples were analyzed for fluoride using an ion-sensitive electrode. Results: Twenty-nine percent of 89 well water samples had fluoride concentrations above the Indian permissible limit of fluoride in drinking water. Eighty-five children and 72 adults had clinical fluorosis. Urine fluoride concentrations in children were 0.758–2.88 mg/L whereas in adults they were 0.331–10.36 mg/L. Discussion: Clinical effects of fluoride included abnormal tooth enamel in children; adults had joint pain and deformity of the limbs and spine, along with ligamentous calcifications and exostosis formations in seven patients. Elevated urine fluoride concentrations supported the clinical diagnosis of fluorosis. Owing to insufficient fluoride-safe wells and lack of awareness of the danger of fluoride toxicity, villagers often drink fluoride-contaminated water. Conclusion: Villagers of Berhait block, including children, are at risk from chronic fluoride toxicity. To combat the situation, villagers need fluoride-safe water, education, and awareness of the danger about fluoride toxicity.

Prevalence of developmental defects of enamel in children and adolescents with asthma

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of developmental defects of enamel (DDEs) in relation to asthma severity, symptom onset and pharmacological treatment in pediatric asthma patients. Children and adolescents (68 asthma patients and 68 controls), 5-15 years of age and residents of the city of Londrina, Brazil, were enrolled in the study. Medical and dental histories were collected through the use of a structured questionnaire. Each participant underwent a dental examination in which the examiner employed the DDE index. Of the 68 asthma group subjects, 61 (89.7%) presented dental enamel defects, compared with only 26 (38.2%) of those in the control group. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, we estimated the risk of DDEs in permanent dentition to be 11 times higher in pediatric subjects with asthma than in those without (OR = 11.88, p = 0.0001). The occurrence of dental enamel defects correlated with greater asthma severity (p = 0.0001) and earlier symptom onset (p = 0.0001). However, dental enamel defects did not correlate with the initiation of treatment (p = 0.08) or the frequency of medication use (p = 0.93). Pediatric patients with severe, early-onset asthma are at increased risk of dental enamel defects and therefore require priority dental care.

Analytical and ultrastructural studies of pellicle on primary teeth

The pellicle on permanent enamel has been thoroughly studied. The aims of this study were to compare the chemical composition, rate of formation, and ultrastructural appearance of pellicle formed on deciduous enamel in children with those on permanent teeth. This was done by amion acid analyses, Auger analyses, and transmisiion electron microscopy. The amino acid composition of 2-h pellicle on deciduous and permanent enamel had an overall similar pattern, but the contents of serine, glycine, and tyrosine were statistically significantly different. An initially slower pellicle formation and a thinner 2-h pelliced without a globular structured second layer was observed on deciduous enamel. The results indicated therefore distinct differences in chemical composition, rate of formation, and ultrastructural appearance between pellicle on primary teeth and that on permanent teeth.

The appearance of tooth enamel in children ingesting water with a high fluoride content for a limited period during early tooth development.

Sixteen Japanese children, inadvertently exposed to drinking water containing 7.8 ppm fluoride (F) from birth, were aged 11 to 42 months when a low-F water supply was substituted. The appearance of the enamel of their permanent teeth was assessed 11 years later (children aged 12-15 years) and recorded using Dean's and the FDI indices. All grades of Dean's classification were seen. The enamel lesions were more severe in the older than in the younger children, in the incisal compared with the gingival halves of the teeth, and in the early- compared with the late-forming teeth. Small, localized, chalky-white areas of enamel were found at or close to the incisal margins of the anterior teeth of six children. The characteristics and the distribution of the lesions in this study add to our knowledge of the mechanism by which fluoride produces dental fluorosis.