The Special Needs of Preterm Children – An Oral Health Perspective - 06/06/16

Doi : 10.1016/j.cden.2016.02.005

Annetta Kit Lam Tsang, BDSc (Hons), GCClinDent, GCEd(HE), MScMed(Pain Mgt), DClinDent (Paed Dent), PhD ^a,^b,^∗
^a Gold Coast Oral Health Service, Gold Coast University Hospital, 1 Hospital Boulevard, Southport, Queensland 4215, Australia
^b Griffith Health, Griffith University, Gold Coast Campus, Queensland 4222, Australia

^∗Gold Coast Oral Health Service, Gold Coast University Hospital, 1 Hospital Boulevard, Southport, Queensland 4215, Australia.Gold Coast Oral Health ServiceGold Coast University Hospital1 Hospital BoulevardSouthportQueensland4215Australia

Résumé

Preterm births are defined as those before 37 weeks of gestation. With advances in fertility medicine and neonatal medicine, the numbers of preterm children in the community have significantly increased. Developmental delays and complications among preterm children are well recognized. Much less consideration is given to the dental complications of preterm children. Manifestations include palatal deformations, enamel defects, tooth size variations and tooth shape deformities, malocclusions, and increased risks of early childhood caries and tooth wear. This article explores orodental risks and orodental needs of preterm children and suggests preventive and management strategies for optimizing the oral health of special needs children.

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Keywords : Preterm, Low birthweight, Children, Dental, Oral health, Teeth, Malocclusion