[Factors associated with dental enamel defects in the first molar in a population of children].

OBJECTIVES

To assess factors related to defects in the tooth enamel of the first permanent molar. Factors studied include, pediatric assistance, hospital admittance, high and low respiratory illness, varicella, gastroenteritis, ear infections, urinary tract infections, and different pharmacological treatments.

DESIGN

A retrospective case control study.

PARTICIPANTS

Cases and controls were selected randomly from a pool of 1382 scholars born in years 1980, 1981 and 1982.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN

RESULTS

The study was conducted in march and may of year 2000. Finally 48 cases and 148 controls were selected. A dental examination was conducted at 8 years of age using the WHO criteria. Defects in the tooth enamel were defined according to the FDI criteria. We've measured and compared the study variables along the first five years of live. The epidemiological association was quantified by means of the odds ratio (OR) an its 95% confidence interval (CI). In the first year of live we estimated for pediatric assistance an OR of 2.26 (95% CI 1.05-4.92); in the second year for Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) we obtained an OR of 25.27 (95% CI 2.98-562.2); in the third year for UTI an OR of 6.68 (95% CI 1.01-54.52); in the fourth year the OR for pneumonia was 13.45 (95% CI 1.36-324.5) and finally in the fifth year the significant OR were: 2.56 (95% CI 1.23-5.34) for ear infections, 2.28 (95% CI 1.03-5.03) for macrolides and OR of 2.20 (95% CI 1.08-4.50) for anticongestive medications.

CONCLUSIONS

UTI and pneumonia show a high association with the presence of defects in the tooth enamel. Other variables such as high frequency of pediatric assistance, hospital admittance, ear infections, varicella, and pharmacological treatments with macrolides, cefolosporines, anticongestive medications and lungs medications showed a weak association.