Birth Defects
Congenital Abnormalities
Read:
Unfortunately, things can go wrong during a pregnancy and the result is the birth of an infant with congenital malformations, otherwise known as birth defects. Thankfully malformations are not that common, only affecting approximately 3% of births.
Most of the time, when things do go wrong it is early in pregnancy. Therefore, the first trimester, which encompasses the Preimplantation and Embryonic Periods of prenatal development, is the most critical time to protect the developing baby from teratogens or agents that can cause birth defects.
Look:
Below is a chart that shows the window of time that the developing embryo or fetus may be exposed to toxic agents and the possible tissues or organs that may be adversely effected. Notice that almost all of the structural abnormalities occur due to exposure during the Embryonic Period of prenatal development.
Read:
Unfortunately, things can go wrong during a pregnancy and the result is the birth of an infant with congenital malformations, otherwise known as birth defects. Thankfully malformations are not that common, only affecting approximately 3% of births.
Most of the time, when things do go wrong it is early in pregnancy. Therefore, the first trimester, which encompasses the Preimplantation and Embryonic Periods of prenatal development, is the most critical time to protect the developing baby from teratogens or agents that can cause birth defects.
Look:
Below is a chart that shows the window of time that the developing embryo or fetus may be exposed to toxic agents and the possible tissues or organs that may be adversely effected. Notice that almost all of the structural abnormalities occur due to exposure during the Embryonic Period of prenatal development.
Image: McGraw-Hill Companies. Human Anatomy. 2011. Diagram. Figure 5-6. 68.
Read:
So, you may be wondering what types of things fall into the category of teratogens or toxic agents. Infections, certain drugs, radiation, alcohol, and many chemicals are all known teratogenic agents that should be avoided by females that could become or are trying to become pregnant.
Birth defects can range in severity from minor variations in normal physical structures to disturbances that require surgical and therapeutic interventions. However, the most severe malformations cannot be corrected through surgical or therapeutic means, leaving the infant with permanent disability and disfigurement.
Commonly encountered developmental disturbances that affect the head and neck region include ectodermal dysplasia which is characterized by malformed enamel, hair, skin, and nails, cleft lip which is characterized by lack of fusion of the developmental processes of the lip, cleft palate which is characterized by lack of fusion of the developmental processes of the palate, and tetracycline staining which is characterized by intrinsic or internal darkening of the tooth.
You can find pictures of each of these in Chapter 3 of your tetxt. We will talk about each of these in more detail in class.
Activity:
You will not have to do Flash Cards or a Quiz like you have been doing for this topic. Instead, please go to the following website, view the "Fetal Development and Risk" animation, and take quiz that follows to check your knowledge about birth defects.
Click on the "McGraw-Hill" button below to go to the website. The website will open in a new window. Simply close the window and resume the interactive lesson once you have completed the activity.
Read:
So, you may be wondering what types of things fall into the category of teratogens or toxic agents. Infections, certain drugs, radiation, alcohol, and many chemicals are all known teratogenic agents that should be avoided by females that could become or are trying to become pregnant.
Birth defects can range in severity from minor variations in normal physical structures to disturbances that require surgical and therapeutic interventions. However, the most severe malformations cannot be corrected through surgical or therapeutic means, leaving the infant with permanent disability and disfigurement.
Commonly encountered developmental disturbances that affect the head and neck region include ectodermal dysplasia which is characterized by malformed enamel, hair, skin, and nails, cleft lip which is characterized by lack of fusion of the developmental processes of the lip, cleft palate which is characterized by lack of fusion of the developmental processes of the palate, and tetracycline staining which is characterized by intrinsic or internal darkening of the tooth.
You can find pictures of each of these in Chapter 3 of your tetxt. We will talk about each of these in more detail in class.
Activity:
You will not have to do Flash Cards or a Quiz like you have been doing for this topic. Instead, please go to the following website, view the "Fetal Development and Risk" animation, and take quiz that follows to check your knowledge about birth defects.
Click on the "McGraw-Hill" button below to go to the website. The website will open in a new window. Simply close the window and resume the interactive lesson once you have completed the activity.
Read:
Now that you have covered all of the topics in this interactive lesson, you should be able to see why it is important for dental hygienists to be knowledgeabe about prenatal development. The hygienist must first understand the development of the orofacial region in order to understand any associated pathology preset.
You are now ready to complete the final activity in this interactive lesson! Please proceed by clicking the "Next Page" button when you are ready. If you want to go back to the previous page, click the "Back" button.
Now that you have covered all of the topics in this interactive lesson, you should be able to see why it is important for dental hygienists to be knowledgeabe about prenatal development. The hygienist must first understand the development of the orofacial region in order to understand any associated pathology preset.
You are now ready to complete the final activity in this interactive lesson! Please proceed by clicking the "Next Page" button when you are ready. If you want to go back to the previous page, click the "Back" button.