Oral Manifestations in Egyptian Children With Short Stature

Normal growth is a process in which a single cell develops into a fully grown adult. The growth rate decelerates from the embryonic stage to adulthood, except during puberty. Most adults fall within a narrow range of stature, typically between 1.5 to 2 meters. Variations in height among children are largely determined by a set of genes inherited from their parents. These genes influence stature distribution within the normal range for nearly 95% of the population, with variation generally being benign.

Short stature in children-defined as a height-for-age below -2 standard deviations (SD) from the WHO growth reference-typically corresponding to the 2.3rd percentile, though many texts use the 3rd percentile as the cutoff. Short stature can be assessed using various anthropometric instruments. The condition may be physiological, with no abnormalities other than stature (polygenic short stature), or pathological, resulting from systemic illnesses, nutritional deficiencies, psychosocial factors, hormonal imbalances, genetic disorders, or musculoskeletal pathologies. A subset of infants born small for gestational age (SGA) may be at risk of persistent short stature.

Children with short stature have been reported to show a higher prevalence of enamel hypoplasia, delayed tooth eruption, and malocclusion compared to children of normal growth status . These oral manifestations may result from shared pathogenic mechanisms, such as nutritional deficits, systemic disturbances during enamel formation, or hormonal imbalances affecting growth and development. A clearer understanding of these associations may enhance multidisciplinary screening and care.

This study aims to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of oral manifestations in Egyptian children with short stature, contributing to the limited regional data on this topic.

Inclusion criteria

• • - Egyptian children aged 6-12 years.
• - Diagnosed with short stature (height-for-age < -2 SD based on WHO standards).
• - Diagnosed and confirmed by a pediatric endocrinologist.

Controls:

• - Age- and sex-matched children with normal height (height-for-age between -1 and +1 SD).
• - Recruited from the same geographic and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Exclusion criteria

• 1- Presence of syndromic conditions (e.g., Turner syndrome, Down syndrome).
• 2- Chronic diseases (e.g., renal, cardiac, or endocrine conditions other than idiopathic short stature).
• 3- Long-term medication use known to affect growth or oral development.