Chemical aspects on dental hard tissues in primary teeth from preterm infants

Preterm children with very low birth weight suffer from several neonatal and postnatal complications that may affect the mineralization of teeth. Clinical and morphological studies have shown enamel aberrations in teeth from preterm children. In this study, the chemical composition in enamel and dentin was compared in primary teeth from preterm children and full-term children, and the relationship between the chemical composition and the morphological appearance was investigated. Enamel and dentin in 17 exfoliated primary teeth, from 14 children with a gestational age below 29 wk, were investigated and compared with 36 exfoliated primary teeth from full-term children, using X-ray microanalyses (XRMA). In comparison with the teeth from the controls, the teeth from preterm children had a higher relative value of carbon (C), a lower relative value of calcium (Ca), a lower ratio of calcium/phosphorus (Ca/P) and a lower ratio of Ca/C throughout the outer part of the enamel. In dentin, the relative values for P were higher, and Ca/P ratio was lower, at the dentin-pulp junction. The Ca/P ratio indicated normal hydroxyapatite in the crystals in enamel and dentin. The lower ratio of Ca/C in the bulk and outer part of the enamel indicated more porous enamel.