Oral Manifestations in Egyptian Children With Short Stature

Oral Manifestations in a Group of Egyptian Children With Short Stature and a Group of Healthy Egyptian Children : A Cross Sectional Study

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

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Oral Manifestations; Short Stature

Detailed Description

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.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 2

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Children aged from 6 to 12 years attending National Nutrition Institute will be included in the study according to the following criteria:

Description

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.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
17children with short stature
17 normal children

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Dental enamel defects	using Aine's classification	3 months
Delayed dental eruption	using Dental eruption table	3 months
Malocclusion	using Angle classification	3 months
Dental caries experience	using def+DMF	3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Cairo University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): December 15, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): March 15, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 15, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 14, 2024
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: April 14, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): April 18, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): December 2, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 25, 2025
• Last Verified: July 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Endocrine System Diseases; Bone Diseases; Musculoskeletal Diseases; Mouth Diseases; Stomatognathic Diseases; Genetic Diseases, Inborn; Bone Diseases, Developmental; Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Dwarfism; Oral Manifestations
• Other Study ID Numbers: Oral signs ,short stature

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No