An epidemiological study of deciduous tooth emergence and growth in white and black children of southeastern Michigan

Abstract

A study of the relation between deciduous tooth emergence and growth in 376 White and Black children, ages 4–33 months, of the lower socioeconomic level was conducted in southeastern Michigan. Age adjusted partial correlation coefficients (r^12.3) between the total number of teeth present and the selected measures of growth were all positive. The early stages of tooth emergence were better correlated with birth weight, while the later stages were better correlated with stature. In comparison to White children, Black children weighed less at birth, were slightly smaller at 12 months, but were bigger at age 24 months. Interrace comparisons for tooth emergence revealed this same pattern. The findings suggest that the timing of deciduous tooth emergence is significantly correlated with child growth. These observations, however, need to be confirmed for the individual child by longitudinal study. The limitations of the use of “dental age” when chronological age is not known are discussed.