Oral manifestations of celiac disease in French children

• Published in: Archives de pédiatrie : organe officiel de la Société française de pédiatrie 2021-02, Vol.28 (2), p.105-110
• Main Authors: Villemur Moreau, L., Dicky, O., Mas, E., Noirrit, E., Marty, M., Vaysse, F., Olives, J.-P.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Celiac disease; Deciduous teeth; Delay in dental eruption-prevalence; Dental enamel defect; Recurrent aphthous stomatitis
• ISSN: 0929-693X; 1769-664X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.arcped.2020.11.002

Celiac disease (CD) is an immune-mediated systemic disorder caused by ingestion of the gluten found in wheat, rye, and barley. The currently estimated prevalence in children is about 1%. CD is a chronic enteropathy with gastrointestinal manifestations including diarrhea, abdominal distension and weight loss, but extra-intestinal features are increasingly being reported. Dental and oral manifestations such as dental enamel defects (ED), delay in dental eruption, and recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) are well-recognized manifestations of CD. The aim of this study was to compare the frequency of oral manifestations (ED, RAS and delay in dental eruption) on deciduous and permanent teeth between children with CD and a control population. An oral examination was performed on 28 CD children and 59 control children. All children were younger than 12 years old and had deciduous or mixed dentition. CD children had significantly more ED and RAS than the control group (67.9% vs. 33.9% P=0.004 and 50.0% vs. 21.8% P=0.011, respectively). No delay in dental eruption was observed in CD children. ED were mainly grade I and II of Aine's classification (color defects and slight structural defects). ED were more often seen on CD children's deciduous teeth than on permanent teeth (57.1% and 13.6%, respectively; P