Investigation of children with dermatological disease in terms of developmental defects of enamel and dental caries

Objective: The aim of the study is to evaluate types and frequency of developmental defects of enamel (DDE) in children with skin disease and to determine types of defects in different skin diseases. It is also aimed to examine the relationship between dental caries and enamel defects in children with skin diseases. Material and methods: Seventy-nine patients with skin disease (between 4-16 ages) who applied to Marmara University Department of Dermatology were included in this study. Forty-one children who applied to Marmara University Department of Pediatric Dentistry for the first time which were matched by age and gender with study group were designated as control group. All patients were examined by a single researcher. Oral hygiene status of children was evaluated with OHI-S index. Saliva flow rate, buffering capacity, Mutans Streptococcus and Lactobacilli numbers were recorded. Enamel defects were evaluated with the Modified Developmental Defects of Enamel Index. CAST index was used for the detection of carious, filled and missing teeth. Results: The percentage of DDE in study group was significantly higher than control group in both primary (13.79% vs 2.86%, p<0.05) and permanent teeth (53.13% vs 22.58%, p<0.05). Enamel defects are frequently seen in the congenital disease subgroup, especially in epidermolysis bullosa patients. Diffuse opacities were most common in dermatitis and papulosquamous disease subgroups and more common in the whole study group than controls. No significant differences were found between OHI-S and CAST index between study and control groups. Conclusion: Developmental defects of enamel are significantly more common in children with skin disease. Keywords: developmental defects of enamel, diffuse opacity, skin disease, mDDE index, CAST index.