Prevalence of Developmental Defects of the Enamel in Permanent Dentition in a Bogotan Population

Objectives: Objective: To estimate the prevalence and distribution of Developmental Defects of the Enamel (DDE) in permanent dentition.
Methods: Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 272 schoolchildren, from a public school in Bogotá, Colombia, (range: 9-18 years), without systemic disorders and exposed to systemic fluor in salt (180-220 ppm). Two dentists were trained and calibrated by an expert in the Modified DDE Index from the International Dental Federation, obtaining a kappa intra-examiner score of 0.8 and 0.85, and inter-examiner 0.86 and 0.82, respectively. The buccal and palatine/lingual surfaces of all teeth were examined by visual inspection after a dental prophylaxis, air-drying and being ideally illuminated. An informed consent and approval of the study by the Ethical Committee of the School of Dentistry at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia were obtained.
Results: Results: The prevalence of DDE was 95.58%. Diffuse opacities were the most common defects found (94.23%), being more frequent the mild ones (87.30%); followed by demarcated opacities (33.07%) of low severity (25.38%); and hypoplasias (26.9%). The most frequent combination of defects in an individual was diffuse and demarcated opacities (22.3%). The most affected maxilla was the upper (65%), and the most compromised teeth were: the premolars and the lower second molars by diffuse opacities (28.64%), the central incisors by demarcated opacities (4.81%), and the lateral incisors by hypoplasia (3.04%). The DDE extended over less than 1/3 of the surface area of the teeth affected in 58.97% of the cases.
Conclusions: Conclusions: The high prevalence of DDE in the studied population, despite mild-low severity, suggests more attention of the health authorities leading preventive programs to control the risk factors related to its presence. More studies with standardized methodologies are needed to estimate the prevalence of DDE which are related to dental caries, fractures, hypersensitivity and excessive wear, among others.