Abstract

Hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (HED) is a rare hereditary disorder characterized by defects of two or more ectodermal structures. Partial or complete absence of deciduous and permanent dentition is one of the more frequently occurring oral symptoms; a few teeth may be present but with conical shape. Other oral symptoms include decreased salivary secretion and atrophic alveolar ridge. Thus, the prosthetic treatment of HED, especially for the young kids is still a big challenge for the pediatric dentists. Here we described a series of the prosthetic treatments of six young boys (aging from 4 to 8 years) with HED using removable partial dentures and complete dentures. The strategy of prosthetic treatment was made on the basis of their age, the development of dentition and jaw. In the removable denture, to promote the partially erupting teeth to erupt, the Intaglio surface of the denture was trimmed out in the path of teeth's eruption. The soft liner materials were inserted into the denture with a thickness of one millimeter to reduce the growth inhibition of the jaw and increase the retention and stability of denture. And all children were followed up in our clinic every three months to modifications and/or replace the denture to avoid possible complications might resulting from the jaw growth. Our four-year experience confirms that a perfect treatment plan helps to promote the vertical dimension, esthetics, functioning of the stomatognathic system and the growth of the jaw, also to improve the speech ability and masticatory efficiency.

Authors and Affiliations