Enamel hypoplasia of primary canine: Its prevalence and degree of expression

Background: Enamel hypoplasia is a unique lesion showing wide variations in prevalence among populations. The present study aimed to evaluate frequency and degree of expression of enamel hypoplasia of primary canine in populations living in the eastern part of India. Materials and Methods: A prospective cross sectional study was performed in randomly selected 3539 school children. Labial surfaces of all primary canines were examined. The frequency and degree of expression of enamel hypoplasia between different ethnic groups were recorded. Based on the location of the defect on the tooth surfaces, the lesions were divided as prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal according to stage of mineralization. Statistical analysis was carried out using Chi square test. Results: The overall prevalence of primary canine hypoplasia was 10.3%. The mandibular primary canines were significantly (P = 0.03) more frequently affected than maxillary canines among different ethnic groups. The side difference among populations was not significant (P = 0.96) statistically. In 8.5% Bengali population, 7% Rajbangsi population, and 9.4% in other group of population, the defect occurred prenatally. Most of the defects, 64.7% in Bengali, 66.1% in Rajbangsi, and 58.8% in others occurred during perinatal stage of mineralization. The defect occurred postnatally in 26.8%, 26.7%, and 31.8% in Bengali, Rajbangsi, and in other group of population respectively. Conclusion: The overall prevalence of primary canine hypoplasia was 10.3%. The mandibular primary canines were more frequently affected (P = 0.03) than their maxillary counterparts among populations. Most of the defects correspond to perinatal stage of mineralization.