New developments in understanding development defects of enamel:optimizing clinical outcomes

摘要

The prevalence of developmental defects of enamel (DDE) appears to be increasing with up to a fifth of otherwise healthy children and 80% of children with other medical or genetic disorders affected.Clinically, such defects are seen as white-yellow or yellow-brown demarcated opacities which vary greatly in their size, colour and shape. Affected teeth pose significant clinical challenges,with nearly half the restorations placed in affected permanent molars failing and many requiring extraction. The aim of this review is to summarise the contemporary evidence surrounding the impact of developmental disruptions on the structure, function and behaviour of enamel and to make some evidence based recommendations for optimizing the clinical outcomes for young patients presenting with such defects.