Abstract

Background: Developmental Dental Defects (D3s) of Enamel are effectively dental defects that originate before the tooth erupts in the mouth. Being classified as demarcated opacities, diffuse opac- ities or hypoplasia, they may cause poor aesthetics, sensitivity, and post eruptive enamel breakdown in affected children. How- ever, their contribution as a risk factor for caries needs to be ver- ified. Aim: To determine the prevalence of demarcated opacities, dif- fuse opacities and hypoplasia and their association with caries in 8 to 9-year-old children. Design: This cross-sectional study with ethical approval included 448 children from Talca Province Maule Region, Chile. Clinical examinations were undertaken by three calibrated examiners forcaries (ICDAS II) and D3s of enamel (mDDE index) (Kappa >0.9). The Exact Binominal Test was used to determine D3s & caries prevalence. Fisher’s exact test was used to determine asso- ciation between D3s and caries. Results: The D3s prevalence in primary and permanent teeth was 31.6% and 77.1% respectively. Caries experience was 62% in pri- mary teeth and 59.9% in permanent teeth. There was a positive association between demarcated opacities and caries in primary and permanent teeth (P < 0.0001; PR=2.09) PR=2.20). Diffuse opacities were inversely associated with caries in permanent teeth (P > 0.001; RP=0.36). Hypoplasia was not associated with caries (P > 0.05). Conclusions: Demarcated opacities contributed to a higher risk of developing caries compared with other enamel D3s. Diffuse opac- ities appear to be a protective factor against caries in permanent teeth. There was no association found between hypoplasia and caries. More research is needed to validate these findings in larger populations.