Prevalence of congenital and developmental oral abnormalities in infants aged 0 to 6 months

Authors

  • Flávia Fernanda Carvalho Santos UFMA
  • Judith Rafaelle Oliveira Pinho UFMA
  • Silvana Amado Libério UFMA
  • Maria Carmen Fontoura Nogueira da Cruz UFMA

Keywords:

Mouth, congenital, infant, prevalence

Abstract

Purpose: To record the prevalence of congenital and developmental oral abnormalities in infants aged 0 to 6 months. Methods: The sample of this descriptive study consisted of 621 infants aged 0 to 6 months, who attended the Milk Bank of the Hospital Universitário Maternal Infantil in São Luís, MA, Brazil, from January 2001 to June 2004. The clinical exam was accomplished through visual inspection, using natural light and wooden spatula. Data recorded were congenital and developmental oral abnormalities and their anatomic location, as well as the subject sex and age. Results: From the total of 621 subjects (310 males and 311 females), 45 (7.24 %) had some oral alteration, particularly in the maxilla. The inclusion cyst was the most frequent oral alteration (6.28 % of the subjects). The age group of infants from 0 to 03 months showed the largest number of oral abnormalities. Conclusion: Congenital and developmental oral abnormalities are not rare occurrences in infants aged from 0 to 6 months, but the literature reports a large range of prevalence. Further studies are necessary to investigate the causes and risk factors of these oral anomalies. Key words: Mouth; congenital; infant; prevalence

Author Biographies

Flávia Fernanda Carvalho Santos, UFMA

Cirurgiã-dentista pela UFMA, especialista em Dentística Restauradora / ABO-MA

Judith Rafaelle Oliveira Pinho, UFMA

Cirurgiã-dentista pela UFMA, mestranda em Saúde Coletiva pela UFMA

Silvana Amado Libério, UFMA

Professora Adjunto do Departamento de Odontologia I da UFMA, doutoranda em Biotecnologia pela RENORBIO

Maria Carmen Fontoura Nogueira da Cruz, UFMA

Profesora Adjunto do Departamento de Odontologia da Universidade Federal do Maranhão, Doutora em patologia Oral pela Universidade federal do Rio Grande do Norte

Downloads

Published

2008-11-22

Issue

Section

Original Article