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Dental enamel defects in celiac disease
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospital of Tampere, Finland.
Summary
Dental enamel defects are significantly more common in adults with celiac disease (CD). This finding suggests dentists can identify potential CD patients by examining for systematically distributed enamel defects.
Area of Science:
- Dentistry
- Gastroenterology
- Genetics
Background:
- Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder affecting the small intestine.
- Dental enamel defects (ED) are common in various conditions, but their association with CD requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the prevalence and pattern of dental enamel defects in adults with celiac disease.
- To determine if specific enamel defect characteristics can serve as indicators for celiac disease.
Main Methods:
- Examination of teeth in 40 adults diagnosed with celiac disease (age range 19-67 years).
- Comparison of enamel defect prevalence and distribution with 112 age- and sex-matched clinical controls.
- Analysis of defect symmetry, chronological distribution, and affected tooth surfaces.
Main Results:
- 83% of adults with CD exhibited systematic enamel defects, compared to 4% in controls.
- 69% of permanent teeth in CD patients had defects versus 19% in controls.
- Enamel defects in CD patients were symmetrically and chronologically distributed across all dentition quadrants.
Conclusions:
- Symmetrically and chronologically distributed enamel defects are strongly associated with celiac disease.
- Dentists can utilize the presence of these specific enamel defects to identify individuals who may require gastroenterologic consultation for CD diagnosis, even in the absence of typical malabsorption symptoms.