Fetal alcohol syndrome in the Western Cape : craniofacial and oral manifestations : a case control study

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT:Introduction: Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) consists of multi-system abnormalities and iscaused by the excessive intake of alcohol during pregnancy. The teratogenic effect of alcohol onthe human fetus has now been established beyond reasonable doubt and FAS is the mostimportant human teratogenic condition known today. The syndrome, first described by Lemoinein1968 in the French literature and in the English literature by Jones and Smith in 1973, has sincebeen corroborated by numerous animal and human studies.This study has grown out of several epidemiological, prenatal and infant studies in areas of theWestern Cape that are currently being undertaken by the Foundation for Alcohol RelatedResearch (FARR). Preliminary data from studies in Wellington have confirmed that a significantproportion of school-entry children have FAS. The prevalence ofF AS in this community exceedsthat for Down syndrome by a factor of30 times. The frequency ofFAS in high-risk populationsof the Western Cape is the highest reported anywhere in the world. With this background, and thepaucity of FAS literature related to dentistry, the aim of this study was to determine thecraniofacial and oral manifestations ofF AS in a sample of school-going children in the WesternCape.Methodology: This study is a descriptive, case-control, cross-sectional study using a randomcluster sampling method. On the day of examination, children were weighed, and their height andhead circumference were measured. They then had photographs and radiographs taken, followedby an oral examination. For each child, the following information was recorded on the datacapture sheet: date of birth, gender, head circumference, weight and height, enamel opacities,dental fluorosis, plaque index, gingival bleeding index, dentition status, oral mucosal lesions anddentofacial anomalies.Results: The total sample of90 children with diagnosed FAS and 90 controls, were matched forage, gender and social class. There were no significant age differences between the two groups(p=0.3363) and the mean ages were 8.9 and 9.1 for the FAS and control groups respectively.Head circumference (HC) differed significantly between the two groups (p

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University