DENTAL DEVELOPMENT IN CHILDREN BORN TO ZIKV-INFECTED MOTHERS: A CASE-BASED STUDY

Abstract Background In Brazil, in October 2015, an outbreak of Zika virus (ZIKV) infection and an increase in newborns with microcephaly suggested a relationship between maternal infection and microcephaly in children. Objective First, to assess the presence of dental bud sin 13 infants with a confirmed diagnosis of congenital ZIKV syndrome, born to mothers infected with the virus during pregnancy; second, to evaluate the dental development of these children at a 36-month follow-up. Design Case-based longitudinal study. Results Dental radiographs in the first semester showed that all children had dental buds. Along with the study, the individuals presented with various dental disturbances. At the end of the evaluation period, some children still had incomplete deciduous dentition. Conclusion The abnormal chronology of dental eruption and dental development disturbances in children with microcephaly infected with ZIKV born to infected mothers indicate a possible role of the virus in odontogenesis.