The role of childhood illnesses on enamel hypoplasia of permanent teeth in rural school children aged 6-12 years in Kenya.

Abstract

Enamel hypoplasia i~ defined as macroscopic defects which can be visually and morphologically identified as a reduction of the enamel thickness• Enamel hypoplasia is a defect in the enamel due to disturbance of ameloblastic function during amelogenesis. Enamel hypoplasia show great variation in clinical appearance making a detailed classification rather difficult. The classification

in this study was based on simple observational criteria. Childhood illnesses have been associated with

enamel hypoplasia. The prevalence of enamel hypolasia and its relationship to childhooq illnesses was assessed in 255 children aged 6 - 12 years. 126 were males and 129 were females.

Enamel hypoplasia was seen in 51 (20%) of the

255 children. (47.1%) were males and 27 (52.9/0) were females. There was a 19% prevalence of enamel hypoplasia in males and 20.9% prevalence in females. The difference was not statistically significant.

There was no significant relationship between

age and enamel hypoplasia. There was a significantly higher prevalence of enamel hypoplasia in those children who gave history of measles than those who did not give history of measles. When age C_,I J of onset was considered a statistically significant

difference in the prevalence of enamel hypoplasia was observed betwfen those children who gave history of measles before 24 months of age and those who gave history of measles after 24 months of age. No relationship was found between the prevalence of enamel hypoplasia and other illnesses namely diarrhoea, convulsions, acute respiratory tract infection, malnutrition and fever.

However, when age of onset of illnesses was considered, a statistically significant relationship was observed between the age of onset of acute respiratory tract infection and the prevalence of enamel hypoplasia.

A statistically significant difference in ~he prevalence of enamel hypoplasia was observe~ between children who gave history of diarrhea before

the age of 6 months and those~ho gave history of diarrhoea after the age of 6 months. Those who gave history of diarrhoea before 6 months of age had a higher prevalence of enamel hypoplasia.