Congenital hypothyroidism and changes in the enamel of deciduous teeth

Deciduous teeth from children with congenital hypothyroidism were collected and ground sections were prepared. The sections were analysed by means of polarized light and microradiography. The enamel in ground sections of deciduous teeth from children with congenital hypothyroidism showed an increase in areas with elevated pore volume distribution in both the pre- and postnatal enamel. The findings suggest that thyroid hormone influences enamel maturation. Further, alterations in enamel structure, presumably due to prenatal thyroid deficiency, were found to be more common among children with neurological abnormalities at the age of 7 to 9 years.