Enamel microhardness of primary teeth of cerebral palsy children

INTRODUCTION: Cerebral palsy subjects present reduced salivary flow, which may predispose to enamel hypomineralization and dental caries. AIM: To compare the enamel microhardness of anterior and posterior primary teeth of normorreactive children (NR) and children with cerebral palsy (CP). MATERIAL AND METHOD: The sample was consisted of 58 exfoliated/extracted primary teeth distributed into 4 groups: (A) anterior teeth of CP (n= 14), (B) anterior teeth of NR (n=16),(C) posterior teeth of CP (n=14) and (D) posterior teeth of NR (n=14). The teeth were hemisectioned, embedded in acrylic resin, grounded and polished. The longitudinal microhardness analysis was carried out in a microdurometer with a Knoop indenter with a 25-gram load for 5 seconds. Three rows of 12 indentations were made from the outer surface from 10 to 180 mm. The rows were spaced 100 mm from each other. The values of the three measurements at each distance were averaged for each tooth and, afterwards, for each group. The non-parametric statistical test used was the Mann-Whitney U (α=5%). RESULT: The microhardness means data were 253.5 ± 55.3 (A), 247.6 ± 45.7 (B), 284.4 ± 68.7 (C) and 252.2 ± 53.8 (D).There was no significant difference between the groups A and B, as well as groups C and D for each distance and global average (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that the enamel microhardness of anterior and posterior primary teeth of cerebral palsy children was similar to the normorreactive children.