Radiographic evaluation of the prevalence of enamel pearls in a sample adult dental population.

AIM Enamel pearls are a tooth anomaly that can act as contributing factors in the development of periodontal disease. Studies that have addressed the prevalence of enamel pearls in populations were scarce. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of enamel pearls in the permanent dentition of Turkish dental patients by means of panoramic radiographs. PATIENTS AND METHODS Panoramic radiographs of 6912 patients were examined for the presence of enamel pearls. All data (age, sex and systemic disease or syndrome) were obtained from the patient files and analyzed for enamel pearls. Descriptive characteristics of sexes, jaws, and dental localization were recorded. The Pearson chi-squared test was used. RESULTS Enamel pearls were detected in 5.1% of subjects and 0.85% of the teeth examined. Prevalence of enamel pearls was higher in males (6.58%) compared to females (3.96%). The mandibular first was the most commonly affected tooth. Enamel pearls were significantly more common in the mandibula compared with the maxilla (81.2% cf 18.8% respectively, p = 0.000). No statistically significant differences were found between the right-side and left-side occurrences. CONCLUSIONS With the prevalence of 5.1% among the Turkish population, every possible effort should be made for locating of this anomaly especially in molars because it might be useful for prevention periodontal problems.