Association of low birth weight with development defects of enamel: Systematic review with meta-analysis

Eugênia Lívia de Andrade Dantas; Basílio Rodrigues Vieira; Bianca Marques Santiago; Yuri Wanderley Cavalcanti; Frederico Barbosa de Sousa

doi:10.1016/j.archoralbio.2025.106313

Association of low birth weight with development defects of enamel: Systematic review with meta-analysis

Arch Oral Biol. 2025 May 27:177:106313. doi: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2025.106313. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Eugênia Lívia de Andrade Dantas¹, Basílio Rodrigues Vieira², Bianca Marques Santiago³, Yuri Wanderley Cavalcanti³, Frederico Barbosa de Sousa⁴

Affiliations

¹ Graduate Program in Dentistry, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Paraíba, Paraiba, Brazil.
² Faculty of Dentistry, Arcoverde Campus, University of Pernambuco, Arcoverde, Pernambuco, Brazil.
³ Department of Clinical and Social Dentistry, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Paraíba, Paraiba, Brazil.
⁴ Department of Morphology, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of Paraíba, Paraiba, Brazil. Electronic address: fredericosousa@hotmail.com.

PMID: 40472787
DOI: 10.1016/j.archoralbio.2025.106313

Abstract

Objective: Low birth weight (LBW) has been associated with developmental defects of enamel (DDE), but this has not been tested against an etiological physiological model of DDE (Eti-Phys model). This study aimed to investigate the associations: (i) between LBW and DDE as well as molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH) in deciduous (DEC) and permanent teeth (PERM), and (ii) between observed and Eti-Phys-model-based predicted (model-based) risk of DDE.

Design: Cross-sectional, cohort, and case-control studies were identified in PubMed, ISI Web of Science, LILACS, SCOPUS, and Embase until April 2024, supplemented by grey literature searches. Random-effects model meta-analyses were performed for LBW in DDE/MIH. Subgroup analyses examined the PRE risk of DDE.

Results: 60 articles were included in meta-analyses. Observed and model-based risks of DDE were correlated (p < 0.001, r = 0.64) [DDE in permanent (relative risk =1.30; 1.02-1.64) < DDE in DEC (RR= 1.76; 1.52-2.04) < DDE in DEC+veryLBW (RR = 2.55; 2.09-3.10) < hypoplasia in DEC (RR= 3.30; 2.35-4.62) < hypoplasia in DEC+veryLBW (RR = 4.62; 3.26-6.56)] in DEC, but not in PERM (p = 0.49). Limited data on LBW versus MIH hindered the calculation of an association between observed and model-based risks of DDE.

Conclusion: Combined with the Eti-Phys model of DDE, the evidence suggests a causal association between LBW and DDE in the deciduous, but not in the permanent dentition. Evidence on LBW and MIH remains limited.

Keywords: Developmental defects of enamel; Low weight at birth; Meta-analysis; Tooth enamel.

Publication types

Review