Prevalence and location of enamel opacities in children after anti‐neoplastic therapy

Abstract

The prevalence and location of enamel opacities was recorded in 37 subjects from low-fluoride areas who had received anti-neoplastic therapy and was compared with an equal number of healthy controls. All the patients had received combination chemotherapy for a malignant disease for at least 2 yr early on in their lives. These cases, and especially those with leukemia, had more opacities than the controls, although these opacities were mild in form. The results show that childhood cancer and/or the therapy provided for this can affect the developing dentition, involving all teeth in leukemia cases and the permanent teeth of the mixed dentition period in other cancer diseases.

Long-term Effects of Chemotherapy on Dental Status of Children Cancer Survivors

“…This means that there was Oral Effects of Chemotherapy in CCS  more untreated dental decay. This is in accordance with many studies [7,13,14]. Kaste et al reported 29% excessive caries in the childhood cancer survivors [15], resulting in a lower RI value (12.8%).…”

“…An increased rate of dental caries has been reported in some studies where more mild opacities were observed in patients receiving combination chemotherapy for malignant disease compared to controls [5][6][7]. A representative follow-up study of Wogelius et al reported that children treated with anticancer therapy between 5 and 6 years of age had an increased prevalence of severe caries by age 12 [8,9].…”

Systemic disorders and their influence on the development of dental hard tissues: A literature review

“…An increased rate of dental caries has been reported in some studies where more mild opacities were observed in patients receiving combination chemotherapy for malignant disease compared to controls. 32,37,38 Other studies have reported no difference in dental caries between treated children and their siblings, though significantly more dental anomalies were detected radiographically in the chemotherapy treated group. 39 The long-term effects of bone marrow transplantation for leukaemia showed a negative impact on missing or filled permanent teeth (DMFT) index based on multiple post-bone marrow transplantation factors with age as a crucial factor in determining the developmental defect of enamel and root.…”

Dental anomalies in children submitted to antineoplastic therapy

“…Developmental defects of the enamel organ are well documented in the scientific literature. Enamel hypoplasias and discolorations are the most frequent dental defects from cytotoxic drugs (29,30,37,40). Children treated for ALL seem to be more severely affected and this result may be reflected in the longer duration of therapy, which leads to a greater risk of affecting the developing ameloblasts (24,41,42).…”