Children born with low birth weights may be more likely to develop oral health problems, including frequent caries and gum inflammation, in adolescence, according to a study recently published in Scientific Reports.
Therefore, these patients may benefit from closer oral health monitoring and preventive care, the authors wrote.
“Our findings provide preliminary evidence that children born with very low birth weights (VLBWs) may be at increased risk for oral health challenges during adolescence,” wrote the authors, led by E. Davidovich of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Sci Rep, October 28, 2025, Vol. 15(1), 37709).
The study compared 102 children ages 10 to 13 born with VLBWs to healthy, age- and sex-matched controls to evaluate various oral health indicators. Researchers assessed oral hygiene and gingival inflammation using the plaque index (PI) and gingival index (GI). Caries status was determined by the mean decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index, they wrote.
Enamel defects were measured by the developmental defects of the enamel index while calculus formation was also recorded. Additionally, interleukin (IL)-8, IL-6, IL-10; tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) salivary cytokine levels; and bacterial DNA from pathogens associated with caries and gingivitis -- Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans), Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum), and Lactobacillus -- were extracted from saliva and analyzed using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
Dental examinations showed higher decay and filling values in the VLBW group compared to the controls (p < 0.05 for missing values). Additionally, the mean DMFT index was greater among VLBW participants, though not statistically significant, they wrote.
Both PI and GI were significantly higher in the VLBW group (p < 0.05). Salivary IL-10 and IL-8 levels were similar between groups, but TNFα was lower, and IL-6 was higher in the VLBW group (p < 0.05). Universal salivary bacteria, F. nucleatum, and Lactobacillus were reduced in VLBW children (p < 0.05), while S. mutans was undetectable in both groups.
The study, however, had limitations. The long period between birth and adolescence allowed for possible confounding factors, such as socioeconomic status and environmental conditions, which may have influenced the differences between the groups, the authors added.
“Further large-scale, longitudinal studies are needed to establish definitive conclusions and to clarify the long-term oral health implications of VLBW,” they concluded.
