28 February 2022

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Black stains and early childhood caries: which is the relation?

Alessandra Abbà

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black stain is a type of extrinsic discoloration characterized by a dark line or by a group of dark dots tipically localized on the cervical third of the tooth.
black stain are the results of the reaction between iron available in saliva and hydrogen sulfide synthesized by bacteria in the oral cavity. This reaction leads to the formation of black precipitates consisting of ferric sulfide which attach the tooth surface.
Usually black stain affects individuals in prepubertal age or adults with iron metabolism disorders.
The etiology of black stain has been subject of much debate over the years and the causative factors are not fully understood to this day, but evidences suggest a correlation between presence of black stain and lower dental caries experience. Actually a prevalence of Actinomyces spp., known for its lower cariogenic potential, has been observed in the microflora of black stain.

However there is still no evidence on how the presence of black stain on the tooth surface reduces susceptibility to dental caries, so the objective of the present study is to systematically review the association between black stain and early childhood caries.

Material and Methods
five articles published in English from January 1947 to January 2020 with cross-sectional study designs were included in this review after a selection based on the established inclusion criteria. The research was carried out using seven electronic databases and hand search.

Results
This systematic review assessed the association between black stain and early childhood caries. three articles showed a significant association between the two conditions. Only two articles showed a negative association and one article showed a positive association.

Conclusion
Cross-sectional design of the studies included provide ambiguous results about the association between black stain and early childhood caries.

 

 

For additional information: Association between black stains and early childhood caries - A systematic review