Caries levels and patterns in head start children in fluoridated and non-fluoridated, urban and non-urban sites in Ohio, USA.

The purpose of the study was to determine caries levels and prevalences of previously identified caries patterns in low income children in the primary dentition in Ohio, USA. Children were examined from urban fluoridated (n = 505), urban non-fluoridated (n = 395), non-urban optimal fluoride (n = 183), and non-urban suboptimal fluoride (n = 227) sites. Caries scores were similar for the two sites having optimal fluoride; scores from fluoridated sites were lower than scores from the two suboptimal fluoride sites. Children from all four sites were caries-free ranging from 36% in the urban non-fluoridated site to 50% in the non-urban optimally fluoride site. More children in the suboptimal fluoridated sites had smooth surface lesions than in the optimally fluoridated sites. More children with defect associated lesions had fewer than six (chi 2 = 222; P less than 0.01) carious surfaces than did children with smooth surface lesions.

Fused primary teeth: a documented familial report of case.

A case report of fused teeth in two of five siblings is described. Both siblings had fusion of contralateral lower primary canines and lateral incisors. One had aplasia of one of the succedaneous lateral incisors.

Anomalies of form and number, fused primary teeth, a correlation of the dentitions.

Fusion is rare in the primary dentition (range .14 percent to 3 percent). Patients with fused primary lateral incisors and canines have about a 75 percent chance of lacking the succedaneous lateral incisor. Patients with fused incisors have less than a 20 percent chance of having a missing permanent tooth.