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Published on: March 29, 2018
Active white enamel lesion: a case-control study
Maria Angela Fernandes Ferreira1, Dyego Leandro Bezerra de Souza, Gilmara Celli Maia de Almeida
1Department of Dentistry, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. angelaf@ufr-net.br
Purpose:
To assess the risk factors involved for active white enamel lesion in public schoolchildren, aged 7 to 12 years, in Natal, Brazil, using a case-control study.
Materials And Methods:
A total of 273 cases of active white enamel lesion and 325 controls (lesion-free) were matched by age, gender and school. The independent variables were: age; gender; visible plaque index (VPI); gingival bleeding index (GBI); decayed, missing and filled surfaces (DMFS); decayed, extracted or filled surfaces (dmfs); DMFS-dmfs; and the number of carious surfaces.
Results:
There was no statistical significance for age (p = 0.57), gender (p = 0.428) and dmfs (p = 0.06). Univariate analysis revealed an increased risk of developing active white enamel lesions in individuals with high VPI (OR = 15.5, CI 95% 10.35-23.2), GBI (OR = 2.86, CI 95% 2.05-3.99), DMFS (OR = 18.91, CI 95% 12.51-28.59), DMFS-dmfs (OR 10.22, CI 95% 7.01-14.91) and number of carious surfaces (OR = 5.47, CI 95% 3.85-7.78). Logistic regression analysis identified that GBI (OR = 2.14, CI 95% 1.41-3.25) and DMFS (OR = 17.3, CI 95% 11.39-26.27) were independent risk factors for active white lesions.
Conclusions:
The results reaffirm the importance of mechanically controlling biofilm to prevent caries development in its initial stage (white lesion).
