title: Developmental defects of enamel: a study of 12-year-olds in Hong Kong.
abstract: The prevalence of enamel defects in Hong Kong was determined using a randomly selected group of 12-year-olds (N = 1,069). The most common defects were enamel opacities, which occurred in 99.6% of the Chinese children, with 63.4% of them having more than 20 teeth affected. Almost 17% of the Chinese children had disfiguring enamel discoloration, but only one of the non-Chinese children had this defect. The high prevalence of enamel defects may be related to the high frequency of use of tetracycline, metabolic disturbances, and a greater-than-optimal intake of dietary fluoride.
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: King
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Wei
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000473:pathology; D003744:Dental Enamel Hypoplasia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D014075:Tooth Discoloration / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology