Enamel Hypoplasia

Enamel hypoplasia is a defect that occurs when dental enamel doesn’t form completely, usually because of malnutrition or disease. Enamel hypoplasia is identified as a horizontal line, a series of pits or grooves along the outer surface of the tooth. These lines mark points at which the bone’s growth was resumed after it had stopped. The degree of hypoplasia is proportional to the length of time the growth was arrested. Hypoplasia does not form in individuals who are chronically ill or malnourished; it only occurs in healthy individuals.