Abstract
The teeth of 86 children and adolescents aged 3 to 22 years with CD were examined for dental enamel defects. Althogether 73 of 76 (96%) children with permanent teeth had enamel defects. The defects were in contrast to those in controls (n=150) symmetrically and chronologically distributed in all four sections of dentition. 11 (14%) had colour defects, 40 (53%) mild, 14 (18%) moderate and 8 (11%) severe EH. A total of 1356 of 1811 (75%) teeth were found to be defected, in controls only 8%. Heavy clinical symptoms resulted in more severe EH. Orthopantomographs showed in children with deciduous dentition enamel lesions in unerupted permanent teeth in 7 of 9 cases. Gluten free diet before the age of 2 years resulted in normal enamel development of the gingival segment of first anterior permanent tooth in 14 of 16 children. In contrast 10 of 11 children with gluten challenge had EH in this segment (p<0.001).
In conclusion, permanent teeth EH is a frequent finding in CD. Thus, when a child has general EH, CD should be suspected. Because of the risk of developing permanent teeth EH, the need of gluten challenge should be reconsidered when planning it to children less than 7 years old.
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Aine, L., Mäki, M., Aine, E. et al. ENAMEL HYPOPLASIA (EH) OF PERMANENT TEETH IN COELIAC DISEASE (CD). Pediatr Res 20, 696 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198607000-00067
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198607000-00067