Dental Developmental Defects: A Pilot Study to Examine the Prevalence and Etiology in a Population of Children between 2 and 15 Years of Age.

Dental development defects (DDDs) are quantitative and/or qualitative alterations produced during odontogenesis that affect both primary and permanent dentition. The etiology remains unknown, being associated with prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal factors. The aims were to identify the possible etiological factors, as well as the prevalence of DDDs in the primary and permanent dentition in a pediatric population. Two hundred twenty-one children between 2 and 15 years of age, patients of the master's degree in Pediatric Dentistry of the Complutense University of Madrid, were reviewed. DDDs were observed in 60 children. Next, a cross-sectional, case-control study was carried out (60 children in the control group and 60 children in the case group). The parents or guardians completed a questionnaire aimed at identifying associated etiological factors. The prevalence of DDDs in patients attending our master's program in both dentitions was 27.15%. Otitis, tonsillitis, high fevers, and medication intake stood out as the most relevant postnatal factors among cases and controls. The permanent maxillary right permanent central incisor and the primary mandibular right second molar were the most affected; there were no differences in relation to gender. One out of three children who presented DDDs in the primary dentition also presented DDDs in the permanent dentition. Prenatal and postnatal etiological factors showed a significant relationship with DDD alterations, considered risk factors for DDDs in both dentitions.

Association between dental agenesis and delay in dental development: a preliminary study in a Spanish paediatric population in relation with Dental Anomaly Pattern (DAP).

BACKGROUND: The association between dental anomalies has been studied, giving rise to the concept of Dental Anomaly Pattern (DAP). Tooth agenesis has been associated with alterations such as molar infracclusion, taurodontism and delayed dental development. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dental development pattern in patients with non-syndromic dental agenesis, in comparison with a control group. METHODS: Dental and chronological age was analysed in a sample size of 204 orthopantomographs divided into a study group (n = 104) and a control group (n = 100) with the Demirjian Method. Intra and intergroup differences in chronological and dental age, and the correlation between them were calculated by statistical analysis with a 95% confidence level (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Dental age exceeded chronological age both in the control group and in the study group. Statistically significant differences (p = 0.004) were found when comparing the difference between chronological and dental age in the study (-0.16 ± 1.12) and control group (-0.58 ± 0.90). Regarding sex and age intergroup differences, the results were only statistically significant in the girls' group (p = 0.017), and the age over 8 years old (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in tooth development depending on the number of missing teeth or the affected tooth group, but there was a delay in the development of the homologous tooth contralateral to the absent one in 14.9% of patients. CONCLUSIONS: The difference between chronological and dental age in permanent dentition is significantly lower in Spanish children with non-syndromic agenesis compared to a control group, presenting a lower dental age than chronological age than children without non-syndromic agenesis.

Study of the influence of crossbite on the size of the apical area in a child population by analyzing panoramic X-ray.

BACKGROUND: The apical area is the space in the maxillary bones that contains teeth during formation and is subsequently occupied by the apices of the permanent teeth. Its dimensions are easy to perceive and determine by observing a panoramic X-ray. Our objective was to analyze the influence of crossbite on the size of the anterior and mesial apical area in Caucasian children. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Based on the ortopantomograph of 353 patients in mixed dentition and crossbite, the sizes of the apical areas of the four hemiarches were studied using the Tps Dig Version 2® computer program. These data were subjected to statistical analysis using the SPSS 22.0 for Windows program and applying the methods of descriptive statistics of quantitative variables, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, the non-parametric test Mann-Whitney-Wilcoxon test, and the paired Student t-test. RESULTS: In the group of boys, average values in the superior-mesial, superior-anterior, inferior-mesial and inferior-anterior apical areas of the crossbite were 173.43, 99.85, 180.32 and 87.56 respectively, with the lower values being in the hemiarch without malocclusion. In the group of girls, for the same apical areas, average values were 165.64, 94.24, 168.62 and 83.34 respectively, with all the highest values being in the hemiarch with crossbite, except for the inferior-mesial apical area. Statistically significant differences were found in the hemiarch with crossbite between both genders in the superior-anterior, inferior-anterior and inferior-mesial apical areas, with the significance being 0.001, 0.029 and 0.001 respectively, while in the hemiarch without malocclusion significance was observed in the superior-mesial, superior-anterior and inferior-mesial apical areas, with values of 0.004, 0.001 and 0.004, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Crossbite affects the size of the anterior apical area in both arches and in both genders. The mesial apical area is influenced by this malocclusion in the jaw in boys and in the maxilla girls. Key words:Apical area, ortopantomography, crossbite.