The dentofacial features of Sanjad-Sakati syndrome: a case report.

Sanjad-Sakati syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder that was first reported by Sanjad et al. in 1988. It is characterized by congenital hypoparathyroidism, severe growth failure and dysmorphic features. The clinical features include deep set eyes, microcephaly, thin lips, depressed nasal bridge with beaked nose, external ear anomalies and learning difficulties. This report presents the case of a 4-year-old patient who was referred to our dental clinic because of pain in her mouth and poor dental health. Oral findings included micrognathic mandible and maxilla, microdontia, enamel hypoplasia as well as severely decayed teeth. Treatment was carried out under general anaesthesia to extract the most severely affected teeth and restore those which could be conserved. It was concluded that these patients have special dental needs; early diagnosis of the affected children is therefore important in order to commence preventive dental therapy and carry out appropriate dental treatment at the optimum time.

Dental treatment under general anaesthesia at a hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

UNLABELLED: Dental General Anaesthesia (DGA) has been shown to be of value in providing both restorative treatment and extractions in children who are unable to accept this using other methods of management. AIMS: The aims of this retrospective study were to determine the characteristics of patients attending for treatment under DGA at a centre in Saudi Arabia, to describe the type of dental treatment carried out using DGA and in the subsequent 3-year period. SAMPLE AND METHOD: Data were collected from hospital records of 555 patients who received treatment under DGA at King Fahad Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, between 1995 and 1997. RESULTS: Ninety three percent of the patients were aged 8 or younger at the time of DGA, with 43% being under 5 years of age. The main indications for use of DGA in the youngest age group were dental management of rampant caries (77% of the youngest age group) and inability to accept treatment under local anaesthesia (49% of those aged 5-8 years). Seventy percent of patients had treatment involving both extractions and restorative care, and the majority, 81%, had one tooth or more restored with preformed metal crowns. Sixty-three percent of patients attended for recall after 6 months but only 10% did so after a 3-year interval. Only one of the 555 patients received a second DGA at the same centre during the 3 years following treatment. CONCLUSIONS: The service studied provides dental treatment primarily for children with extensive disease. Failure to attend for recall was common, suggesting that preventive methods which rely on regular attendance may not be successful in this group of children.

Investigation of an index to measure tooth wear in primary teeth.

UNLABELLED: Tooth wear, in particular erosion, has been reported to be widespread in children in the UK. Wear may affect either dentition, but epidemiological measurement has proved difficult. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were: (a) to investigate use of a simple index of wear in primary teeth; and (b) to compare findings from visual examination and from photographs with those at histological examination of the same teeth. SAMPLE AND METHODS: Forty-one exfoliated or extracted primary anterior teeth were assessed visually and using photographs. Ground sections of the teeth were prepared and examined using polarised light microscopy. RESULTS: On visual examination, 31 of the 41 teeth had evidence of wear. In 14 teeth, tissue loss was confined to enamel and in 17 it extended into dentine. Findings on photographs were very similar to those on visual examination. Of the 10 teeth without erosion visually, two had evidence of loss on histological examination. Of the 14 with visual evidence of erosion confined to enamel, dentine was exposed in 11 cases. Diffuse demineralisation was evident histologically in 11 of the 31 teeth with evidence of erosion. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that clinical assessment of erosion may underestimate the extent of the condition. Under the conditions of the study, photographs gave results similar to those on visual examination.

The relationship between erosion, caries and rampant caries and dietary habits in preschool children in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the possible association between dental erosion and caries, and variables including socio-economic status, reported dietary practices and oral hygiene behaviour, in a sample of children in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study including dental examination and questionnaire survey was carried out at a number of kindergartens. SAMPLE AND METHODS: A sample of 987 children (2-5-year-olds) was drawn from 17 kindergartens. Clinical examinations were carried out under standardized conditions by a trained and calibrated examiner (MAM). Information regarding diet and socio-economic factors was drawn from questionnaires distributed to the parents through the schools. These were completed before the dental examination. RESULTS: Of the 987 children, 309 (31%) showed signs of erosion. Caries were diagnosed in 720 (73%) of the children and rampant caries in 336 (34%). Vitamin C supplements, frequent consumption of carbonated drinks and the drinking of fruit syrup from a feeding bottle at bed- or nap-time when the child was a baby, were all related to erosion. Consumption of carbonated drinks and fruit syrups was also related to caries but they were part of a larger number of significant factors including socio-demographic measures and oral hygiene practices. CONCLUSIONS: There was no clear relationship between erosion and social class, or between erosion and oral hygiene practices; the reverse was true for caries. Dietary factors relating to both erosion and caries and/or rampant caries were found in this sample of children.

Clinical and photographic assessment of erosion in 2-5-year-old children in Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVE: To compare findings from photographs of incisor teeth in pre-school children in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to those on clinical examination for dental erosion. BASIC RESEARCH DESIGN: Cross sectional study of 2-5-year-old Saudi Arabian children using two methods of examination. MEASUREMENT: of erosion was carried out clinically using a scoring system and criteria based on those used in the United Kingdom national surveys. Photographs of labial and palatal surfaces of maxillary primary incisors were taken for each child and scored in the same way. SETTING: Kindergarten schools in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. PARTICIPANTS: 987 children from 17 randomly selected schools in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. RESULTS: Readable photographs were available for 727 children. Two hundred and twenty (30%) had photographic evidence of tooth tissue loss. Prevalence estimates derived from clinical examination were higher than those for photographs (36% compared to 30%). Agreement was seen between the two methods for 93% of the surfaces included. CONCLUSIONS: Photographs have been employed in research in dentistry as well as for documentation and illustration. In epidemiology they have proved to be valuable in measuring enamel defects but have not been used for other conditions. Photographs have potential in measuring erosion, but may benefit from refinement.