Prevalence of dental abscess in a population of children with vitamin D-resistant rickets.

A population of patients with vitamin D-resistant rickets whose present ages range from 4 to 22 years was examined to determine the prevalence of dental abscess associated with that condition. For those patients affected with abscesses in the primary dentition, four associated factors were examined: 1) the age at onset of the first abscess; 2) the tooth/teeth most commonly involved; 3) whether or not other teeth were involved over time; and 4) the order of occurrence of multiple abscesses. Six of 24 patients (25%) were affected with abscesses of the primary dentition; all had multiple abscesses. Males were more commonly involved than females. The sequence of involvement generally followed the pattern of tooth eruption; however, dental treatment in susceptible individuals shortened the time between eruption and abscess. Medication dose and measurement of radiographs were not reliable predictors of the occurrence of abscesses in this population; however, the results indicate that one abscess is a predictor of future abscesses for that patient.