Oral Anomalies In Newborns: An Observational Cross-Sectional Study.

To determine the prevalence of oral anomalies in newborns and the influence of maternal and neonatal factors on the development of these anomalies.
Four hundred newborns were included in the study conducted at the Hospital and Maternity Dom Orione (HMDO) in the city of Araguaína, Tocantins, Brazil. After collecting demographic data and information about the newborns from the medical records, an oral examination was performed by a single examiner.
The prevalence of oral anomalies was 50 percent. Cysts of the oral cavity were the most prevalent anomalies (43 percent), with palatine cysts (26 percent) and alveolar cysts (23 percent) being the most common. Ankyloglossia was present in nine percent of newborns, and congenital eruption cysts and neonatal teeth were present in 0.5 percent and 0.2 percent, respectively. No statistically significant correlation was observed between the prevalence of palatine cysts, alveolar cysts, or ankyloglossia and maternal or neo-natal factors.
Oral anomalies in newborns are not uncommon, making essential the presence of a dentist, especially a pediatric dentist, in the multidisciplinary team of hospitals and maternal wards.