Normal formation and development defects of the human dentition

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices among patients with combined dentition defect and non-functional impacted teeth toward tooth autotransplantation

BACKGROUND

Tooth autotransplantation (TAT) is a surgical procedure involving the extraction of a tooth from one location and its subsequent transplantation into another alveolar socket within the same individual. This innovative treatment approach holds significant promise. Nonetheless, the potential recipients exhibit a limited level of awareness and understanding of this procedure. This study investigated the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) among patients with combined dentition defects and non-functional impacted teeth toward TAT.

METHODS

This web-based cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2022 and February 2023 at one hospital. A self-designed questionnaire was developed to collect demographic information of the patients and assess their knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward TAT.

RESULTS

A total of 533 valid questionnaires were collected. The mean knowledge, attitude, and practice scores were 5.55 ± 2.38 (possible range: 0-10), 26.82 ± 2.46 (possible range, 8-40), and 27.45 ± 7.40 (possible range, 9-45), respectively.

CONCLUSION

The participants had insufficient knowledge, negative attitudes, and passive practices toward TAT. Targeted interventions should be implemented to improve the understanding and practice of TAT among patients with dentition defects.

Digital restorative workflows for developmental dental defects in young patients: A case series

BACKGROUND

Digital technology is rapidly changing the provision of oral health care, although its adoption for the oral health care of young patients has lagged. The authors describe digitally supported treatment approaches for managing treatment of developmental dental defects in the early permanent dentition.

CASE DESCRIPTION

Four adolescent patients with amelogenesis imperfecta received transitional anterior restorations for esthetic and functional rehabilitation using a variety of digital workflows. Combinations of restoration type, materials, and fabrication methods were selected to meet the needs of each patient on the basis of their specific amelogenesis imperfecta phenotype and chief symptoms. These cases highlight the application of digital technology in pediatric and adolescent dentistry for managing the treatment of developmental dental defects.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

Digitally supported restorative approaches, as described in this report, offer broad applicability of materials and techniques directed at treating the complex restorative needs of young patients in the transitional and early permanent dentition.

[Clinical radiological evaluation of teeth-part 1 : Anatomy and anomalies]

Radiological assessment of the teeth and periodontium is often left to the dentist. Nevertheless, it is useful to know the anatomy and possible anomalies of the teeth in order to correctly assess pathological processes in both projection radiographic and slice imaging. Dental radiological examinations, such as panoramic slice imaging (PSA) and dental film are used for targeted diagnostics. In the case of incidental findings, a dental presentation should be made for further clarification. This article first provides an overview of the anatomy and anomalies of teeth.

Factors Associated With Food Texture Acceptance in 4- to 36-Month-Old French Children: Findings From a Survey Study

Food texture plays an important role in food acceptance by young children, especially during the complementary feeding period. The factors driving infant acceptance of a variety of food textures are not well-known. This study summarizes maternal reports of children's ability to eat foods of different textures (here: acceptance) and associated factors. Mothers of 4- to 36-month-old children (n = 2,999) answered an online survey listing 188 food-texture combinations representing three texture levels: purees (T1), soft small pieces (T2), hard/large pieces, and double textures (T3). For each offered combination, they reported whether it was spat out or eaten with or without difficulty by the child. A global food texture acceptance score (TextAcc) was calculated for each child as an indicator of their ability to eat the offered textured foods. The results were computed by age class from 4-5 to 30-36 months. The ability to eat foods without difficulty increased with age and was ranked as follows: T1> T2 > T3 at all ages. TextAcc was positively associated with exposure to T2 (in the age classes between 6 and 18 months old) and T3 (6-29 months) and negatively associated with exposure to T1 (9-36 months). Children's developmental characteristics, as well as maternal feeding practices and feelings with regard to the introduction of solids, were associated with texture acceptance either directly or indirectly by modulating exposure. Children's ability to eat with their fingers, gagging frequency, and to a lesser extent, dentition as well as maternal feelings with regard to the introduction of solids were the major factors associated with acceptance. This survey provides a detailed description of the development of food texture acceptance over the complementary feeding period, confirms the importance of exposure to a variety of textures and identifies a number of additional person-related associated factors.

Prevalence of the developmental defects of the enamel in children aged 12-15 years in Kollam district

Aim and Objectives:

To determine the prevalence of developmental defects of enamel in children aged 12–15 years in Kollam district and to examine the etiological factors associated with the developmental defects of the enamel (DDE).

Materials and Methods:

A total of 2,500 children from 10 urban and 10 rural schools were examined using modified DDE criteria for recording enamel defects. Ten index permanent teeth were screened for the DDE.

Results:

The overall prevalence of the DDE was found to be 32% and the prevalence is higher in urban schools (34.3%) compared to rural schools (29.6%). The most common tooth affected by the defect was maxillary right lateral incisor (P = 28.6%) and the tooth least affected was maxillary right first premolar (P = 3%). The most common deformity was demarcated opacities (P = 28.76%) and the least common deformity was combination of diffuse opacities and hypoplasia and combination of demarcated, diffuse opacities, and hypoplasia (P = 0%). There was a very high significant association between DDE and the mothers’ pregnancy age, illness during pregnancy for mother, medication taken during pregnancy by mother, prematurity of birth, intubation done during prematurity, birth weight, systemic illness during the first 5 years of life, intake of drugs or chemicals during the first 5 years of life, nutritional status, and trauma or infection on deciduous teeth and dental caries.

Conclusions:

The study population showed a prevalence of 32% and very high significant association between perinatal, natal, and postnatal etiological factors. It indicates the need for educating the population about the risk factors for the DDE.

Case report: Unclassified syndrome involving dental enamel, dentine and lack of tooth eruption

BACKGROUND

Regional odontodysplasia, also described as ghost teeth, has been described on a number of occasions, in some cases generalized odontodysplasia affecting both the primary and the permanent dentition. However, generalised odontodysplasia is a very rare finding, involving large pulps and short roots of the whole dentition and in the cases previously reported the teeth finally erupt. In the case reported on herein this has not happened.

CASE REPORT

A female patient, now aged 22-years-old, cared for in the TAKO-centre (Oslo) since she was 5 years old, presented with a continuing problem of absence of permanent teeth due to total lack of eruption. All her permanent teeth were either retained intra-alveolar or had been extracted following previous periods of pain and infections. There was no enamel on any of the permanent teeth and the dentine was softer than normal. In addition, there appeared to be very little potential for eruption. Hence, tooth development was affected in all aspects. Her skeletal height was much shorter than expected taking her tall parents into consideration. After all possible assessments, no specific diagnosis for the condition of this young woman has been determined.

TREATMENT

Before the present series of dental care the patient was wearing full dentures in both jaws. In the autumn of 2007, implants were placed in her maxilla and an implant supported fixed prosthesis in porcelain was installed the following spring. Similarly, implants were placed in her mandible, partly in retained teeth, in the autumn of 2008, and an implant supported fixed prosthesis was inserted during the spring of 2009.

FOLLOW-UP

after prosthetic treatment a dental hygienist has seen the patient regularly. No problems or signs of infections have occurred to date.

CONCLUSION

This case report concerns a rare and apparently un-named syndrome affecting both primary and permanent teeth. This paper has been written with an aim of gathering the views as to the aetiology of her problem, hopefully finally to provide a definitive diagnosis.

The psychosocial impact of developmental dental defects in people with hereditary amelogenesis imperfecta

BACKGROUND

Amelogenesis imperfecta (AI) is a hereditary dental condition with poor esthetics and dental sensitivity that frequently requires extensive dental treatment. The authors hypothesized that AI is associated with a negative psychosocial outcome.

METHODS

Family members with and without AI completed a questionnaire including demographic and dental history questions, as well as a number of psychometric scales. The authors investigated the effects of AI status (with versus without), sex and age on each of the psychosocial outcomes using a generalized linear model.

RESULTS

Subjects with AI (n = 30) had higher levels of social avoidance and distress, as well as higher levels of dysfunction, discomfort and disability attributable to their oral condition compared with subjects without AI (n = 29). The relationship of AI status to fear of negative evaluation, mastery and self-esteem was age-dependent. Younger subjects with AI tended to have higher fear of negative evaluation scores, while older subjects without AI tended to have higher fear of negative evaluation scores. Additionally, subjects without AI showed a definite decrease in mastery and self-esteem scores with age, while subjects with AI tended to show an increase in mastery and self-esteem scores with age.

CONCLUSIONS

These results indicate that having AI has a marked impact on the psychosocial health of affected people comparable with the impact of systemic health conditions, especially at younger ages.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS

Dental coverage for AI traditionally is excluded by third-party payers as being solely for esthetic reasons. The authors' study shows that AI has marked psychosocial effects, which suggests that dental treatment could be medically necessary and has far-reaching implications for the affected person's overall health.

Developmental milestones and self-feeding behaviors in infants and toddlers

OBJECTIVES

To identify ages at which gross motor developmental milestones and fine motor skills required for self-feeding were reported by primary caregivers and to relate these self-feeding skills to energy and nutrient intakes.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey of households with infants/toddlers, ages 4 to 24 months.

SUBJECTS/SETTING

Telephone survey using a national random sample of infants and toddlers (n=3,022).

METHODS

Primary caregivers reported their children's food intake (one 24-hour recall), the ages when caregivers reported self-feeding skills were shown, and the number of teeth.

STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED

Children's reported ages for gross motor developmental milestones, self-feeding skills, and the number of erupted teeth were summarized. Using t tests, differences in energy and nutrient intake were determined by age groupings and by the absence or presence of each self-feeding skill.

RESULTS

Self-feeding skills achieved in the first 2 years and details about age ranges at which developmental readiness to self-feed were evidenced are described. The ages at which children were reported to show gross motor developmental milestones and eruption of teeth occurred within expected age ranges. A majority of the children who were reported to show developmental readiness to self-feed at an earlier age (7 to 14 months) had higher intakes of energy and most nutrients than those who did not. By 15 to 18 months, most of the children were reported to show comparable self-feeding skills regardless of whether they self-fed earlier or later.

APPLICATIONS/CONCLUSIONS

Assuming a variety of nutritious foods are offered to infants and toddlers, caregivers may encourage self-feeding without concern for jeopardizing energy and nutrient adequacy. In the first year, the addition of foods that require chewing should reflect the number of erupted teeth.

The adolescent traveler

Oh, to travel again with the carefree attitude of the adolescent! Yet most readers will think that this enormous list of precautions would merit never letting the adolescent out of the house. The traveler and his or her provider can be reassured that with appropriate (and confidential) forethought, the journeys that lie ahead can be joyful and healthy. The bottom line? The more information obtained before travel both for the traveler and his or her family, the less morbidity will be incurred. The primary care provider is in the perfect position to provide all of these services to the adolescent traveler.