Oral inclusion cysts: a prospective cohort study on distribution, associated factors and prognosis in the first year of life.

PURPOSE: To investigate the distribution and risk factors of oral inclusion cysts (OICs) at birth, estimate the prognosis and analyse the impact on breastfeeding and tooth eruption in the first year-of-life.

METHODS

A birth cohort study was conducted at Canoas University Hospital, southern Brazil, including 1181 mother-child dyads. Oral inclusion cysts were assessed at the hospital shortly after birth. Data on feeding practices and tooth eruption were collected at 6 and 12 months. A second clinical examination was performed at 12 months. Poisson regression with robust variance was used for statistical analysis.

RESULTS

The prevalence of OICs at birth was 72.4% (95% CI 69.7-75.1%), with no significant differences across maternal or infant characteristics. Oral inclusion cysts had no impact on breastfeeding in the first hour of life or at 30 days (RR = 1.45; 95% CI 0.90-2.35), nor on the timing of tooth eruption (RR = 0.90; 95% CI 0.79-1.02). At 12 months, the prevalence of OICs was 1.5%.

CONCLUSION

OICs are common, transient findings in early infancy and do not affect breastfeeding or the eruption of primary teeth. Training healthcare professionals to recognise their benign nature can help prevent unnecessary treatments.