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Delayed tooth formation in low birthweight African-American children
E F Harris1, B D Barcroft, S Haydar
1Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, University of Tennessee, Memphis.
Insights
Low birthweight (LBW) is linked to developmental delays. LBW children showed delayed dental development, particularly in early-forming teeth, suggesting perinatal factors impact long-term growth.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Developmental Biology
- Dental Anthropology
Background:
- Low birthweight (LBW) infants face increased risks for developmental issues impacting growth.
- These issues can have lasting effects throughout infancy and childhood.
- Dental age (DA) assessment offers a window into developmental trajectories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if low birthweight (LBW) is associated with delayed dental development in African-American children.
- To determine which specific teeth are most affected by LBW-related developmental delays.
- To explore the relationship between dental age, chronological age, and growth status in LBW children.
Main Methods:
- A case-control study comparing 4- to 7-year-old LBW African-American children (N=66) with normal birthweight controls (N=76).
- Dental age was assessed by permanent tooth mineralization stages.
- Data were matched for age and ethnicity, with height-for-age percentiles analyzed.
Main Results:
- Significant delays were observed in the formation of early-forming teeth (incisors, first molars) in LBW children.
- The most pronounced dental delays were associated with the lowest height-for-age centiles.
- Older children exhibited greater divergence between dental age and chronological age, suggesting cumulative effects.
Conclusions:
- Low birthweight and associated perinatal factors may lead to enduring impacts on the development of early-forming teeth.
- Dental development delays in LBW children appear linked to growth status and age.
- These findings highlight the potential for dental assessment to monitor developmental progress in LBW populations.
Abstract:
Low birthweight (LBW) infants are susceptible to several developmental problems (e.g., pulmonary diseases, hyperbilirubinemia, hypocalcemia) with potentially long-lasting effects that slow growth during infancy and childhood. Dental age (DA), judged from stages of permanent tooth mineralization, was scored in 4- to 7-year-old LBW African-American children (N = 66; x = 5.5 years) to test whether they were delayed due to LBW and its consequences. Data were matched in a case-control fashion to African-American children with normal birth-weights (N = 76). Only the early-forming teeth (incisors, first molars) were delayed significantly in their formation. Children with the lowest height-for-age centiles were the most delayed dentally which suggests that height status would improve as dental age caught up with chronological age (CA). Older children were more delayed because there is a proportionately greater opportunity for DA to diverge from CA as children grow older. Since only those teeth undergoing rapid differentiation neonatally were affected systematically, it was speculated that perinatal insults may have an enduring impact on developing primordia, while leaving later-forming teeth unaffected.
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