Effect Of Low Birth Weight And Very Low Birth Weight On Primary Dentition In The Indian Population

Prematurity and low birth weight [LBW] children account for approximately 7-17% of all live births. They are prone to several medical complications during the antenatal and postnatal period which may adversely affect the development of oral tissues. The purpose of the study was to study the prevalence of enamel defects in prematurely born LBW and very low birth weight children [VLBW] in Indian population. The study was made on children between 9 months to 35 months of age. This study shows that the prevalence of enamel defects increases with decreasing birth weight. The prevalence in VLBW children [weight 2.5 kg] was 74.1%, 26.5% and 18% respectively. In very low birth weight children left sided defect occurred twice as frequently as right sided defects; probably the result of trauma from left sided laryngoscopy.