Correlation of Low Birthweight with Enamel Defects and Dental Caries

Objectives:

1.To evaluate the association of low birthweight and enamel defects

2.To correlate low birthweight and dental caries

Methods:

Two groups of children, 100 normal birthweight and 100 low birthweight, aged 2-6yrs were matched for gender, method and frequency of brushing, exposure to topical fluorides, socioeconomic status, medical history, daily dietary sugar exposures, plaque scores, salivary pH and Streptococcus mutans counts. History of gestational age and type of delivery was also taken.

They were then evaluated for developmental defects of enamel and dental caries status using the DDE and WHO caries index respectively.

Results:

It was found that the percentage of low birth weight children affected with defects was 84% with a total of 613 defects as compared to 26% children in normal birthweight group with 223 defects, the difference being highly significant (p=0.000).

Analysis showed that the difference in the mean number of enamel defects between low birthweight children (6.13 ± 4.310) and normal birthweight children (1.37 ± 2.338)was highly significant, with p=0.000.

In both groups the defects were more prevalent as enamel opacities compared to hypoplasias.

It was also found that the enamel defects were prevalent significantly more in maxillary teeth as compared to mandibular in both the groups .

No significant difference was found in the mean caries score in both groups (p=0.246).

Gestational age was not found to be a significant factor for enamel defects.

Highly significant correlation was found between enamel defects and dental caries after Spearman's rho analysis (p=0.004)

Conclusions:

The present study suggests early prevention and intervention in children with low birth weight, as a highly significant association is found between low birthweight and developmental defects of enamel. There is a highly significant correlation between enamel defects and dental caries, however, no significant association is observed between low birthweight and dental caries.