A controlled study of the morphometric changes in the primary dentition ofpre-term, very-low-birthweight children

The aim of the present investigation was to compare the dimensions of the p rimary incisors from pre-term children and full-term controls. One hundred and eleven pre-term children, consisting of 86 very-low-birthweight (< 1500 g), 25 low-birthweight (from 1500 to 2500 g), and 169 full-term, normal-bi rthweight (> 2500 g) children, donated a total of 572 maxillary and mandibu lar primary central and lateral incisors for study. The teeth were measured by means of a digital micrometer. The results showed that there was a dose -response effect of birthweight on tooth size. The very-low-birthweight tee th showed the smallest dimensions, the normal-birthweight controls the larg est, and the low-birthweight teeth intermediate dimensions (p < 0.001). In the maxillary primary central and lateral incisors, and the mandibular prim ary central incisors, very-low-birthhweight teeth were from 6 to 11% smalle r in both mesiodistal and faciolingual dimensions compared with normal-birt hweight teeth (p < 0.001). The largest differences were observed in the max illary lateral incisors, where mean decreases of 0.58 +/- 0.45 mm in mesiod istal and 0.50 +/- 0.40 mm in faciolingual dimensions (11% reduction in bot h measurements) were observed. In addition, in the mandibular and maxillary lateral incisors of very-low-birthweight children, the left-sided teeth we re significantly smaller than those on the right side in both mesiodistal a nd faciolingual dimensions (p < 0.03).