Prevalence and location of enamel opacities in children after anti-neoplastic therapy

Abstract

The prevalence and location of enamel opacities was recorded in 37 subjects from low-fluoride areas who had received anti-neoplastic therapy and was compared with an equal number of healthy controls. All the patients had received combination chemotherapy for a malignant disease for at least 2 yr early on in their lives. These cases, and especially those with leukemia, had more opacities than the controls, although these opacities were mild in form. The results show that childhood cancer and/or the therapy provided for this can affect the developing dentition, involving all teeth in leukemia cases and the permanent teeth of the mixed dentition period in other cancer diseases.