Tetracycline Discoloration, Enamel Defects, and Dental Caries in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis

The prevalence, distribution, and interrelationship between tetracycline discoloration, enamel defects, and dental caries was determined in 86 patients with cystic fibrosis (age 3 to 24 years). The dental caries experience was compared to control subjects matched for sex, race, exposure to optimally fluoridated water, chronologic age, and dental age. The findings indicate a high prevalence of tetracycline discolorations and enamel defects but a significantly reduced dental caries experience in these patients. However, interrelationships between these three factors were not strikingly evident. The presence of an altered oral health status in cystic fibrosis patients and the increased prevalence of this disease due to recent therapeutic and diagnostic advances in its management suggest the need for further familiarization with the dental manifestations of cystic fibrosis.