Prevalence of developmental enamel defects in mentally retarded children.

Developmental defects of enamel (DDE) are commonly observed in children with neurological disorders. However, information related to these patients is very scarce. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of DDE in mentally retarded children and to correlate it with specific perinatal factors and childhood diseases. A total of 170 retarded children between 4 and 17 years from a nonfluoridated area were examined. Teeth with defective enamel were seen in 37% of the patients. Permanent central incisors were the most affected teeth (68.38%). White/single opacities were present in 48.38% and white/diffuse patchy opacities in 28.38% of the patients. There was a significantly higher prevalence of DDE in patients with history of bacterial diseases. No statistically significant relation was found between presence of DDE and sex, nutritional status of the mother, use of alcohol and tobacco during pregnancy, presence of syndromes, neonatal disturbances and viral diseases.