2015 Volume 53 Issue 4 Pages 504-511
White spot lesions (WSLs) in teeth can be divided into carious and non-carious. Since a precavitation carious lesion is reversible, early detection and appropriate treatment are important to arrest the demineralization process. Nevertheless, there have been few clinical surveys about the prevalence of WSLs in Japanese children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of WSLs in anterior teeth and canines among deciduous, mixed, and permanent dentition. A total of 1130 patients (range 2-18 years old) who came to Asahi University Hospital Department of Pediatric Dentistry for dental recall examinations were enrolled. The labial surfaces of the anterior teeth and canines were investigated for the presence of WSLs by ocular inspection under appropriate illumination. Additionally, history of traumatic injury to deciduous teeth, and other dental and medical incidents were noted. For deciduous dentition, 12.9% of the subjects had WSLs, with the rate of incidence in maxillary teeth significantly higher as compared to mandibular teeth. In addition, 27.7% of the subjects had WSLs in mixed dentition, with the incidence in numbers 11 and 21 significantly higher as compared to other teeth. As for permanent dentition, 23.9% of the subjects had WSLs and the rate of incidence for maxillary anterior teeth was significantly higher as compared to other teeth. Furthermore, the ratio of subjects with a WSL of the cervix was significantly higher in mixed and permanent dentition as compared to deciduous dentition. The ratio of subjects with a history of traumatic injury of the precursor was 14.3% in mixed dentition and 10.0% in permanent dentition. Some WSLs were unidentified enamel hypoplasia. Also, cleft palate, crossbite of anterior deciduous teeth, and apical lesions in deciduous teeth seemed to be causative factors of WSLs. Our results suggest that oral hygiene instruction and preventive treatment are important throughout all dentition stages. Furthermore, treatment of pre-cavitation carious lesions in young permanent teeth is essential to assist remineralization.
