EC Dental Science

Introduction: One of the known causes of hypoplasia in primary teeth is maternal complications during pregnancy, as well as factors such as premature birth, low birth weight of the infant, and the subsequent need for intubation. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of intubation during infancy on the occurrence of hypoplasia in primary teeth among children aged 3 to 5 years, with normal birth weight, in Bent El Hoda Hospital, Bojnurd.

Materials and Methods: This retrospective cohort study was carried out in Bojnurd city between 2020 and 2022. The medical records of infants born from 2015 to 2017 with a birth weight greater than 2500 grams were reviewed. Based on the documentation of intubation status, a total of 60 infants with normal birth weight were included, of whom 25 had undergone intubation and 35 had not. The families of the selected infants were subsequently contacted, and the children were invited for clinical examination. Clinical assessments were performed under lamp illumination using a tongue depressor, a disposable dental mirror, and a catheter, and the presence of enamel hypoplasia was evaluated. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software version 22, and statistical analyses were conducted employing the chi-square test, Fisher’s exact test, and t-test.

Result: The average age of all children was 4.6 ± 0.49 years and the average weight was 283.6 ± 423.8 grams. Among all children, only 3 children had a history of hypoplasia (2.9% in the control group and 8% in the group with intubation). In both studied groups, there was no significant relationship between children's gender and the prevalence of enamel hypoplasia. There was no significant relationship between the duration of intubation and the frequency of enamel hypoplasia.

Conclusion: In children with normal birth weight, there is no significant relationship between neonatal intubation and the prevalence of enamel hypoplasia.

 Keywords: Intubation; Premature Babies; Enamel Hypoplasia; Birth Weight; Sex

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