Enamel surface characteristics in early childhood caries: A comparative in vitro analysis with teeth of caries-free dentition
Lavanya Sundararajan, J. Shanti Swarup, Mahesh Ramakrishnan, Rathika ThomasABSTRACT
Purpose:
Early childhood caries (ECC) is a chronic, infectious, and transmissible condition with a complex multifactorial etiology, aspects of which remain unclear. This study aims to evaluate differences in enamel loss and surface roughness between primary teeth affected by ECC and those of caries-free dentition.
Materials and Methods:
Sixty-four extracted human primary incisors from two groups of children were allocated to two study groups: Group I (ECC-affected;
Results:
The mean depth of demineralization was significantly higher in the ECC affected group (9.04 ± 4.08 μm) compared to the caries-free group (4.45 ± 3.39 μm). Similarly, the mean surface roughness was higher in the ECC group (2.00 ± 0.79 μm) than in the N-ECC group (0.87 ± 0.59 μm).
Conclusions:
Primary teeth affected by ECC exhibit significantly greater enamel loss and surface roughness following demineralization. These findings suggest the presence of inherent structural enamel defects in ECC-affected teeth, which may contribute to their increased susceptibility to caries development in children.