Inside Zika Virus Outbreak: Dental Findings

Objectives: The aim of this short report was to describe the preliminary dental findings of 16 Infants between 4 to 7 months of age, patients at the University Hospital Oswaldo Cruz (HUOC), University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil, with confirmed diagnosis of microcephaly by ZIKV.
Methods: The Oswaldo Cruz University Hospital is one of the centers of reference for diagnosis and treatment of children with microcephaly. Babies diagnosed with Zika congenital syndrome by tomography and Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) positive to ZIKV, by excluding other diseases such as cytomegalovirus, toxoplasmosis, rubella, syphilis, dengue fever, chikungunya and HIV were recruited for dental exam.
The dental clinical exam looked for mucosal lesions, congenital abnormalities, infectious diseases, tumors, absence of teeth, prenatal or neonatal teeth and other disorders. For the radiographic examination the baby’s head was held by mother and two dental assistants in centric occlusal view, using periapical size film. This project was approved by the Internal Review Board of the University of Pernambuco by the number of 52675616.0.0000.1526
Results: The radiographic examination showed no anodontia affecting the maxillary anterior region of any of the infants, however, two Infants presented with supernumerary teeth and absence of teeth in both arches, one with bell shaped teeth and one with incomplete formation of the maxillary central incisor (Fig.1 and Fig.2).
Conclusions: In summary, while numerous questions remain to be answered, this work was able to indicate that the dental disorder caused by Zika Virus may have occurred after the 12th week of intrauterine life. More studies are needed to clarify questions concerning this syndrome.