Prevalence of Enamel Developmental Defects and Relationship with Early Childhood Caries in Trinidad.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of developmental defects of enamel (DDE) and their relationship with early childhood caries (ECC) among preschool children in Trinidad. METHODS: A cross-sectional oral health survey of 251 three- to five-year-old preschool children was undertaken in central Trinidad. The decayed, missing, and filled primary teeth (dmft) index and the DDE index were used to measure visible caries experience and enamel developmental defects, respectively. RESULTS: Sixty-three children (25.1 percent) had some type of DDE. The most common defects were diffuse opacities and demarcated opacities. A greater severity of visible caries experience was associated with enamel opacities and hypoplasia (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: DDEs are prevalent among this group of preschool children in Trinidad and are risk factors for ECC, which emphasizes the importance of preventive oral health care in early childhood for these high-risk children.