Prevalence of primary canine hypoplasia of the mandibular teeth.

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of an uncommon lesion of the primary mandibular canines (primary canine hypoplasia), and its association with age, race, gender, dental caries, fluoridation status of the drinking water, breast-feeding, and geographic location. The study population comprised 2686 randomly selected children, black and white, 4 and 8 years old, who were enrolled in accredited private and public preschools and elementary schools in Mississippi. There were 1318 males and 1368 females, 1289 white children and 1397 black children, 1353 4-year-olds and 1333 8-year-olds. Results indicate that an association exists for race (P = 0.0001), gender (P = 0.01), and dental caries (P = 0.0001), but not for age (P = 0.07), geographic location (P = 0.73), fluoridation status of the water supply (P = 0.145), or breast-feeding (P = 0.392). The prevalence rate of primary canine hypoplasia was 33.2% for black children and 17.2% for white children. These data indicate that this lesion is significantly more prevalent in blacks than whites, and that teeth with this lesion have a greater probability of developing dental caries.