ENAMEL DEFECTS IN THE DECIDUOUS DENTITION AS A POTENTIAL PREDICTOR OFDEFECTS IN THE PERMANENT DENTITION OF 8-YEAR-OLD AND 9-YEAR-OLD CHILDREN IN FLUORIDATED CHESHIRE, ENGLAND

It is claimed that dental fluorosis in both deciduous and permanent te eth is increasing in fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities. What is unclear is whether fluoride-induced enamel opacities in the decidu ous dentition are associated with the subsequent appearance of enamel defects in the permanent dentition. The aim of this study was to estab lish whether a relationship existed between the presence of diffuse en amel defects on the deciduous molars and permanent incisors of schoolc hildren who were lifetime residents in an optimally fluoridated commun ity in Cheshire, England. The dentitions of eight- and nine-year-old c hildren were examined by two examiners, each unaware of the findings o f the other. There was a significant increased risk of diffuse enamel defects in the permanent incisors for those children who presented wit h diffuse defects on their first deciduous molars (Relative Risk, 1.45 ; 95% confidence interval, 1.05 to 2.0) or second deciduous molars (Re lative Risk, 1.86; 95% confidence interval, 1.36 to 2.54). In light of these findings, it is worth considering the potential of the presence of enamel defects in deciduous molars in children aged 1 to 3 years a s a predictor of the future appearance of similar lesions in their per manent incisors.