Prevalence of enamel developmental defects in a group of 11- and 12-year-old children in South Wales.

The prevalence of enamel developmental defects was assessed in 579 children aged 11 and 12 yr using the DDE Index. The teeth were dried prior to the examination and a normal dental operating light was used for illumination. Teeth with some type of defective enamel were seen in 48.9% of children. White/single opacities were present in 26.4% of children and white/diffuse, patchy opacities in 9.9% of children. The enamel was abnormal in 5.74% of all teeth with white/single opacities and white/diffuse, patchy opacities occurring in 1.89% and 1.18% of teeth respectively. There was a significantly higher number of teeth affected by enamel defects in boys (P less than 0.01) and boys tended to have a higher prevalence of yellow opacities compared to girls.