title: Relationship between birth weight and time of first deciduous tooth eruption in 143 consecutively born infants.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Deciduous teeth play an important role in the proper alignment, spacing and occlusion of permanent teeth. The calcification of deciduous teeth begins during the fourth prenatal month, and calcification of all deciduous teeth begin by the end of the sixth prenatal month. The eruption date varies and is genetically influenced. Delayed eruption of deciduous teeth, especially the first teeth, causes nutritional problems for the infants. It also results in parental concerns. In this study, we compared the timing of eruption of the first deciduous teeth in infants in relation to their birth weight.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 143 infants born at Shariati Hospital in Tehran from December 2004 to December 2005 were included in the study. Data on sex, birth weight, gestational age, and time of first tooth eruption were collected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean birth weight was 3220 +/- 420 g with 5.5% of infants weighing less than 2500 g, and 19.9% weighing more than 3500 g. Patients were monitored weekly from the third month of age until the time of first tooth eruption. The mean age of first tooth eruption was 7.68 +/- 1.84 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There was a negative linear correlation between the time of first deciduous tooth eruption and birth weight, suggesting that delayed tooth eruption may be related to lower birth weight.
authors: Department of Neonatology, Shariati Hospital, School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: nsajadian@tums.ac.ir.
authors: Negar
authors: N
authors: Sajjadian
authors: Department of Neonatology, Shariati Hospital, School of Medicine and Medical Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Shajari
authors: Department of Craniofacial Surgery, 15 Khordad Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran.
authors: Ramin
authors: R
authors: Jahadi
authors: Biomedical Studies, La Sierra University, Riverside, California, USA.
authors: Michael G
authors: MG
authors: Barkett
authors: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Satellite Centers, Private Practice, Orange County, California, USA.
authors: Ali
authors: A
authors: Sajjadian
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001724:Birth Weight; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016014:Linear Models; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014078:Tooth Eruption; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000502:physiology*