Ghrelin hormone might have a potential role in amelogenesis

Amelogenesis imperfecta and generalised enamel hypoplasia are developmental dental anomalies that affect dental enamel. While amelogenesis imperfecta results from various gene mutations, the exact underlying mechanisms of the etiopathogenesis of both remain unclear. This study aims to evaluate Ghrelin hormone levels in children with generalised enamel hypoplasia to establish whether Ghrelin might have a potential role in enamel hypoplasia's etiology. The second purpose is to determine the correlations among the blood levels of Ghrelin, growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), bone alkaline phosphatase (BALP) and osteocalcin (OC) that are vital in dental development.

Study was designed with two study groups, AI (hypoplastic amelogenesis imperfecta) (n = 15; mean-age 10.36 ± 1.90) and GEH (idiopathic generalised enamel hypoplasia) (n = 15; mean-age 10.42 ± 1.84), and a healthy control (n = 15; mean-age 10.39 ± 1.91) group. After fasting for 10-12 hours, simultaneous blood samples were collected; then, after centrifugation, serum and plasma were stored at -80°C until the day of analysis. Total Ghrelin levels of plasma and serum levels of GH, IGF-1, BALP and OC were measured using commercial ELISA kits.

Ghrelin levels of AI and GEH groups were significantly lower (P < .01) than the control group.

This is the first study to reveal the decreased levels of Ghrelin in plasma of children with generalised enamel hypoplasia, suggesting a potential role for Ghrelin in amelogenesis. In order to determine its function in enamel formation, further studies should be carried out. The result of the present study suggests that paediatricians refer children with abnormal Ghrelin levels to a paediatric dentist to contribute to appropriate prophylactic and therapeutic interventions. Generalised enamel hypoplasia may also indicate possible abnormalities in Ghrelin levels for paediatricians. Therefore, paediatricians' knowledge about the clinical appearance of generalised enamel hypoplasia should be increased.