Sociodemographic and behavioral factors associated with developmental dental hard-tissue anomalies in children with primary dentition

Introduction: Developmental dental hard-tissue anomalies include anomalies of number, size, shape, and structure of the teeth. Anomalies in primary dentition are associated with anomalies in the permanent dentition. The present study identified the sociodemographic and behavioral factors associated with developmental dental hard-tissue anomalies in primary dentition. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of 433 preschool children aged 5 years and below in Enugu East Local Government Area, Enugu, Nigeria. Data on sociodemographic profile were collected, and clinical examination was conducted on the children to record the presence of double tooth, hypodontia, hyperdontia (supernumerary), microdontia, talons cusp, hypoplasia, and Hutchinson's incisors. Results: The prevalence of developmental dental hard-tissue anomalies was 14 (3.2%). Five-year-old children (28.6%), male children (57.1%), and children belonging to high socioeconomic status (50.0%) had developmental dental hard-tissue anomalies, and there was a statistically significant association between past dental visit (P < 0.001) and developmental dental hard-tissue anomalies. There was no statistically significant association between age (P = 0.80), sex (P = 0.75), socioeconomic status (P = 0.83), and developmental dental hard-tissue anomalies. The most common developmental dental anomaly was double tooth (1.6%), whereas talons cusp (0.2%) and hyperdontia (0.2%) occurred the least. The upper central incisors were affected the most (48.5%). Conclusion: The prevalence of developmental dental hard-tissue anomalies was low, and past dental visit was associated with developmental dental hard-tissue anomalies in this population.