The scope of the study was to establish the epidemiological features of enamel defects in permanent dentition, in a school community of Iasi, and to investigate the prevalence of enamel defects and their distribution by the modified DDE index. The experimental group, investigated between 2007 and 2009, consisted of 334 children: 164 boys and 170 girls, with chronological ages between 6-16 years, coming from the urban pediatric population of Iasi. The results of the study show that permanent teeth with affected enamel were found in 12.9% of children, while frequency by the number of teeth had the following distribution of defects: 7.5% opacity, 2% hypoplasia, 0.2% discoloration. The most common lesions were diffuse opacity, the maxillary central incisors evidencing the highest degree of impairment – 7.3%. The prevalence of enamel developmental defects is lower – 12.9%, compared to previous studies performed on similar pediatric populations, and their distribution shows multiple lesions – 3.3% opacity, hypoplasia or stains; also, in 64.4% of the cases, an extension defect less than 1/3 of the tooth surface could be observed.
Keywords:- Child
- developmental dental defects
- permanent teeth