Abstract
There are many reports regarding the influence of tracheal intubation on the oral cavity in very low and extremely low birth weight infants, though none from Japan. Furthermore, the long-term impact of tracheal intubation on dentition during infancy is rarely reported, due to rapid growth and development that occur prior to the first visit to a dental clinic.We treated a child with incomplete eruption, enamel hypoplasia, and crossbite in the upper anterior deciduous teeth that appeared to be due to the influence of tracheal intubation. The patient, an extremely low birth weight infant who had undergone tracheal intubation for a period of 3 months, was 2 years 3 months old at the time of the initial examination. At that time, the upper left deciduous central incisor, deciduous lateral incisor, and deciduous canine were found to be incompletely erupted,while crossbite in the opposite anterior teeth was also observed. Windowing and removal of odontoma-like hard tissue was performed under general anesthesia. Subsequently, eruption of deciduous anterior teeth as well as improvement of the crossbite were seen at follow-up examinations. On the other hand, odontoma-like hard tissue was found to be associated with severe enamel hypoplasia of the deciduous lateral incisor, which was also observed in the erupted deciduous central incisor and deciduous canine crown. This case had localized abnormalities and the affected location was under pressure during the intubation, thus we considered that the abnormalities were influenced by tracheal intubation performed during the neonatal period. Based on our findings, it is possible that enamel hypoplasia, crossbite, morphological abnormalities of the palate, and other abnormal conditions can be found in very low and extremely low birth weight children who receive tracheal intubation as neonates. Thus, appropriate examinations and treatment for such cases are essential.
