Perinatal and Neonatal Factors Associated With Developmental Defects of Enamel in Primary Dentition of Children Born Prematurely

BACKGROUND: Perinatal and neonatal factors associated with developmental defects of enamel (DDE) among children born prematurely have not been well studied. AIM: To evaluate perinatal and neonatal factors associated with DDE in primary dentition among children born prematurely. DESIGN: A prospective observational study was performed including ≤ 32 weeks gestational age (GA) infants within 12 h after birth. Infants with TORCH infections, chromosomal disorders, craniofacial anomalies, inherited anomalies of teeth, organic acidemia, or who died were excluded. At 3 years of corrected age, DDE was evaluated using the modified DDE index. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty-three infants were studied of which 77 developed DDE. GA was inversely associated with DDE (OR 0.86, 95% CI: 0.75-0.99, p = 0.04). On multivariate logistic regression, maternal diabetes (OR 3.4, 95% CI: 1.05-11.2, p = 0.04), preeclampsia (OR 0.32, 95% CI: 0.15-0.73, p = 0.006), respiratory distress syndrome (RDS, OR 2.44, 95% CI: 1.05-5.7, p = 0.03), and days on furosemide (OR 1.02, 95% CI: 1.001-1.04, p = 0.04) were associated with DDE. CONCLUSION: DDE in primary dentition is common among children born prematurely with incidence directly related to the degree of prematurity. Maternal diabetes, RDS, and days on furosemide may be risk factors, whereas preeclampsia may be protective for DDE.