Prevalence of Radiographically Identifiable Dental Anomalies in Children and Association with Health Status

The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of radiographically identifiable developmental dental anomalies (DDA) in a university-based pediatric dental clinic and to assess for associations between DDA and health status. Retrospective data, obtained from the electronic dental records of a three-year pediatric patient cohort, were evaluated by two trained and calibrated examiners. Strict inclusion/ exclusion criteria were applied. A validated image quality grading system was used for radiograph assessment, and the physical status classification of the American Academy of Anesthesiology was utilized. A chi-square test and bivariate logistic regression were used for statistical analysis. The inter- and intraexaminer reliability was assessed using Cohen's Kappa. A total of 1,478 subjects (69 percent medically healthy) were enrolled. DDA were identified in 25 percent of the subjects, with hyperdontia, hypodontia, and microdontia being more common. A statistically significant association was found between the presence of DDA and health status (P<0.001) and between DDA and asthma (P=0.035). Patients with systemic disturbances showed 2.12 times greater odds of having DDA (P<0.001, 95 percent confidence interval equals 1.7-2.7). The prevalence of developmental dental anomalies was high, with one in four patients affected. DDA in number were the most common. Patients with systemic disturbances had greater odds of having DDA.