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Perinatal and Neonatal Factors Affecting the Chronology of Primary Dentition in High-Risk NICU Graduates: A

Kanupriya Rathore1, Sushil K Choudhary2, Neeraj Gupta2

  • 1Model Early Intervention Centre, Department of Neonatology, AIIMS, Jodhpur, India.

Special Care in Dentistry : Official Publication of the American Association of Hospital Dentists, the Academy of Dentistry for the Handicapped, and the American Society for Geriatric Dentistry
|December 9, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Primary tooth eruption timing in high-risk infants is influenced by prematurity and maternal pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH). Early dental assessment is crucial for these vulnerable infants.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Dentistry
  • Neonatal Health
  • Developmental Biology

Background:

  • Tooth eruption is a key developmental milestone and potential indicator of systemic health in children.
  • High-risk infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) may experience altered tooth eruption patterns.
  • Understanding perinatal and neonatal risk factors is vital for assessing infant oral development.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the impact of perinatal and neonatal risk factors on primary tooth eruption chronology.
  • To identify specific risk factors associated with delayed tooth eruption in high-risk infants.
  • To inform early risk assessment and dental referrals for infants requiring NICU admission.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 232 high-risk infants admitted to the NICU.
  • Extraction of maternal and neonatal data from validated medical records.
  • Oral examinations to record primary tooth eruption timing, with delayed eruption defined as deviation from mean eruption ages (±2 SD).
  • Logistic regression analysis to determine associations between risk factors and delayed tooth eruption (DTE).

Main Results:

  • The mean age for the first primary tooth eruption was 6.9 ± 2.6 months.
  • The overall prevalence of delayed primary tooth eruption was 9.1%.
  • Preterm infants (<37 weeks gestation) exhibited earlier first primary tooth eruption (p=0.001).
  • Infants born to mothers with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) also showed earlier first deciduous tooth eruption (p=0.009).

Conclusions:

  • Gestational age and maternal PIH are significantly associated with the timing of primary tooth eruption.
  • Early oral assessment is crucial for high-risk infants.
  • The study supports the need for early risk assessment and dental referrals for NICU infants to monitor developmental milestones.
Abstract

Keywords:
early diagnosislow‐birth‐weight infantoral healthpremature infantprimary dentitionrisk factorstooth eruption

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