Oral Findings in Brazilian Infants Born at Full Term

ABSTRACT

Objective: To evaluate the oral findings of Brazilian infants born at full term as well as to identify the presence of abnormalities at birth. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study comprising 190 infants aged up to 2 days old. Data were obtained by applying a structured questionnaire to the mothers as well as by collecting information from the infants' medical records. Clinical examination was conducted to evaluate the infants' oral features and it included the relationship of alveolar ridges and shape of the gum pads and the insertion of the lingual and labial frenula. The presence of oral developmental abnormalities was also evaluated. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to analyze the infants' abnormalities and gender (α = 0.05). Results: Most infants presented round upper gum pads (71.6%) and U-shaped lower one (52.6%). The mean discrepancy between the alveolar ridges was 3.33mm. Interference with tongue movement was found in 12.6% of the newborns. There was 50.0% prevalence of oral cysts. Among them, Epstein pearl was found in 27.4% of the cases, Bohn nodules in 26.3%, and dental lamina cysts in 11.1%. There was no significant difference between the occurrence of abnormalities and the infants' gender. The normal features of the oral cavity meet the literature data. The herein found congenital developmental abnormalities were oral cysts and ankyloglossia. Conclusion: Different classification forms made it difficult to compare the current study data with those from other studies. Therefore, it suggests the need for standardization in order to evaluate these abnormalities.