Enamel defects were commoner in preterm children, and post-natal dietary intervention had no effect on their frequency. This is the first study in which enamel defects in both primary and permanent teeth have been studied in the same group of preterm children. At age 1 and 2 yrs, 32 preterm children were examined, and the same group was examined again at 9-11 yrs. As controls, 106 healthy children were examined at 1 and 2 yrs, and 64 of them were randomly selected for comparison. When the preterm children were aged 9-11 yrs, 64 of another group of 150 10-13 yr-olds were randomly chosen as controls. All were examined by the main author. At 2 yrs, 66% of preterm children had enamel hypoplasia, and 2% of controls (P < 0.001); enamel opacity affected respectively 13% and 19% (NS). However, the proportions of teeth thus affected were respectively 16% and 0.1%, and 13% and 4%. In the permanent dentition around 10 yrs later, 38% of preterm children had hypoplasia, and 11% of controls (P < 0.01), and opacity affected respectively 47% and 25% (P < 0.05). All preterm infants had primary dentition enamel defects, and 72% also had permanent dentition defects. The preterm infants had been randomly assigned to 2 levels of vitamin D supplementa-tion up to age 6 months, and to breast milk with or without a supplement of calcium and phosphorus until reaching a weight of 2kg. These supplements had no apparent effect on enamel defects.

The teeth of 40 adults aged 19 to 67 yr with celiac disease (CD) were examined for dental enamel defects (ED). A total of 33 of the 40 adults with CD (83%) had systematic ED in contrast to only 5 of the 112 clinical controls (4%). Unspecific enamel lesions were found in both groups, but they were more common in the control group (80% vs. 18%). Altogether 69% of the permanent teeth in adults with CD were found to be defected, in clinical controls only 19%. In adults with CD the ED were in contrast to those in controls symmetrically and chronologically distributed in all four sections of dentition. The present study clearly shows that symmetrically and chronologically distributed enamel defects are strongly associated with CD. Therefore in the absence of symptoms and signs of malabsorption dentists could easily select the right patients possibly suffering from CD for gastroenterologic consultations.

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Development of teeth was studied from 2483 dental panoramic tomograms of 1651 healthy Finns ranging in age from 2 to 25 years. Dental maturity was assessed using a method based on developmental stages of 7 left mandibular teeth. We give sex-specific tables of maturity scores as a function of ages and of ages as a function of maturity scores. Also generated are percentile graphs for visual evaluations of dental maturity in children and adolescents. Since maturity scales do not tolerate any missing data, a great limitation for their use, we have developed linear regression models for predicting the formation stages of each of the 7 mandibular teeth. It was easiest to predict the formation stage of the mandibular first molars (correct in 87% within the study material) and most difficult to predict second molars and second premolars (correct in 69% and 70%, respectively). We expect the data and formulae presented in this study to prove useful in research and in clinical and forensic dentistry.

The co-occurrence of CD and SS should be recognized because of its effects on dental and oral mucosal health. A lower salivary gland inflammatory focus score and higher salivary flow rate in CD + SS than in SS suggests that a gluten-free diet treatment may alleviate autoimmune inflammation.

Aims-To elucidate the development of primary and permanent teeth and to interpret the eVect of diVerent calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D supplementation in the neonatal period on dental maturation in preterm children. Methods-Preterm infants were randomised to four groups to receive a vitamin D dose of 500 or 1000 IU/day and calcium and phosphorus supplemented or unsupplemented breast milk. The maturity of the primary and permanent teeth was recorded in 30 preterm children. Sixty children aged 2 years and 60 children aged 9-11 years served as controls. Bone mineral content/density was assessed in the preterm infants. Conclusions-This is the first longitudinal study to follow primary and permanent tooth maturation in the same preterm children. Premature birth has no appreciable late sequelae in tooth maturation. (Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2000;83:F104-F108)

Systematic and chronologically distributed permanent-tooth so-called coeliac-type enamel defects are highly prevalent both in children and adults with coeliac disease (gluten-sensitive enteropathy) and dermatitis herpetiformis. Coeliac-type enamel defects were also found in healthy first-degree family members of coeliac disease patients. Our family study showed that these persons with the typical defected enamel were genetically similar to coeliac disease patients (A1;B8;DR3). As coeliac disease patients are often clinically silent with no gastrointestinal symptoms, or they complain only of minimal abdominal discomfort, both dentists and physicians could select patients with coeliac-type enamel defects for gastroenterological and dermatological consultations, including serological screening tests and later jejunal mucosal biopsy.

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