Childhood early oral ageing syndrome: prevalence and association with possible aetiological factors and consequences for the vertical dimension of occlusion: protocol for a cross-sectional study.

introductionChildhood early oral ageing syndrome (CEOAS) is a condition involving oral abnormalities resulting from systemic diseases of different origins that are related to the current lifestyle of the paediatric population. Enamel defects associated with intrinsic and extrinsic factors promote the early loss of tooth structure at an accelerated pace, with negative impacts on function, aesthetics and quality of life. The aim of the study is to identify the prevalence of early tooth wear in childhood and its severity using the CEOAS index, which is a tool for the diagnosis of the condition and for epidemiological surveys, involving the investigation of abnormalities of the oral cavity in the paediatric population and possible factors associated with the severity of the condition. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: Children aged 3-6 years will be recruited from the paediatric clinic of Universidade Nove de Julho. Children with amelogenesis imperfecta, dentinogenesis imperfecta and genetic syndromes, as well as those undergoing orthodontic treatment will be excluded. A questionnaire will be administered addressing general health, sleep quality, dietary habits, oral hygiene habits and parafunctional habits. Clinical examinations will then be performed using the novel CEOAS index to assess tooth wear (scores 0-3) and determine the occurrence of enamel defects (scores I-III). The vertical dimension of occlusion (VDO) will also be measured. The CEOAS scores will be computed for the deciduous dentition and analysed statistically, with the significance level set at 5% (p<0.05). ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This protocol has been approved by the institutional review board of Universidade Nove de Julho (process number: 6.713.724. Approved on 20 March 2024). The results will be submitted to international peer-reviewed journals and presented at international conferences. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: www. CLINICALTRIALS: gov, NCT06381414. Registered 23 April 2024.