Atypical Developmental Defects of Enamel in Primary Incisors Versus Preeruptive Intracoronal Resorption (PEIR): Case Reports.

Developmental defects of enamel (DDE) in children range from moderate to severe and may predispose to dental fractures and early childhood caries. The prevalence of DDE in the primary dentition range from 24 to 75 percent, and the right time to diagnose DDE should be as soon as the teeth erupt. However, early detection of DDE in primary incisors is difficult because parents seldom visit the dentist at this age and, later on, caries lesions mask the original alteration. The purpose of this paper was to present three cases of unique and similar dental defects appearing in very young children from different countries-defects that probably share the same etiology. Given the severity of the defects and the children's' age, these could be the first reported cases of preeruptive intracoronal resorption (PEIR) in primary incisors. This paper also discusses the differentiation between DDE and PEIR.