A study of enamel defects and dental caries of permanent dentition in school children with intellectual disability

Abstract

Data concerning the prevalence of developmental enamel defects and their association with dental caries in individuals with intellectual disability are scarce. This paper aims to evaluate the prevalence and distribution of developmental enamel defects and dental caries in the permanent dentition of special-care school children from Poznan (Poland). Out of 1091 students attending all special-care schools in the city, the study covered 268 subjects with intellectual disability (mild, moderate, severe, and profound) with permanent dentition, aged 10–20. One calibrated dentist performed dental examinations. The Statistica Software v10 was used for statistical analysis, assuming the level of statistical significance p ≤ 0.05. Among the subjects of the study, 19.40% presented developmental enamel defects. The number of teeth with changes ranged from 1 to 28, with maxillary incisors most frequently affected. Students without developmental enamel defects had more teeth observed with active caries compared to those with such changes (10.92% vs. 7.82%, p < 0.01). The highest number of students with developmental defects of enamel was observed in the group of individuals with mild intellectual disabilities. The present study revealed that in special-care students from Poznan, enamel defects and dental caries were frequently observed. However, individuals with developmental enamel defects did not show higher dental caries indices.