The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of enamel defec
ts in both primary and permanent dentitions of the same preterm children, a
nd to elucidate the role of early dietary mineral and vitamin D intake in t
he etiology of the enamel defects. The status of the primary and permanent
teeth was evaluated in 32 preterm children and in 64 control children. The
prevalence of enamel defects in children born preterm was clearly higher as
compared with controls in both the primary (78% vs 20%, P<0.001) and perma
nent (83% vs 36%, P<0.001) dentitions. Neither the mineral supplementation
used nor a vitamin D dose of 1000 IU/day, as compared with a lower dose of
500 IU/day, reduced the prevalence of enamel defects in the primary or perm
anent dentitions. Further studies are needed to clarify whether achieving n
ear optimum intra-uterine mineral retention would lower the prevalence of s
ubsequent enamel defects in infants born prematurely.