Etiological Factors Influencing the Prevalence of Developmental Defects of Dental Enamel in Nine-year-old New Zealand Children Participating in a Health and Development Study

Over 1000 children, participating in a longitudinal study of health and development, possess documented medical histories based on birth records and regular assessments starting at age 3. A dental examination at age 5 of 923 participants recorded their exposure to fluoride and evidence of trauma to the deciduous teeth. The prevalence of developmental defects of dental enamel in 696 of the children when aged 9 was reported as 56% (Suckling et al., 1985). For the present study, a number of illnesses, accidents, and other experiences were selected from the recorded information as possible etiological factors for any defect, demarcated and diffuse opacities, and hypoplasia. Despite extensive statistical testing, positive and strong associations were few. The prevalence of hypoplasia, seen in 15% of the sample, was higher in those children who had chicken pox before age 3 and, as reported previously, in those children with a history of trauma to their deciduous incisors. This study illustrates the difficulty of establishing the etiology of enamel defects, even when medical and dental histories are available.