Hypodontia Patients Research Articles

A service evaluation of the multidisciplinary team approach to hypodontia

Introduction Patients with hypodontia can be seen by a multidisciplinary team clinic (MDT) for treatment planning at the University Dental Hospital of Manchester (UDHM). The MDT consists of orthodontics, restorative dentistry and oral surgery colleagues.Aims and methods A retrospective case-note analysis was conducted on 558 hypodontia patients seen on Manchester Hypodontia Clinic (MHC) between 2016-2022 to assess service utilisation and treatment planning outcomes.Results The average age of patients attending the MHC was 16 (range 8-50). The distribution of mild, moderate and severe hypodontia in the sample was 28%, 37% and 35%, respectively. Most common treatments proposed were fixed appliances, extractions, implants and resin-bonded bridges. Out of 558 patients seen for consultation on the MHC, 365 (65%) were accepted for treatment. The average number of visits for treatment was 15.5 (range: 1-55). The average number of did not attend/was not brought appointments, patient cancellations and hospital cancellations were 0.8, 1.4 and 1.8, respectively.Conclusion Hypodontia patients referred to UDHM are triaged by consultants in orthodontics or restorative dentistry, and if MDT planning is required, they are booked onto the MHC. There are sufficient patients with complex cases of moderate and severe hypodontia to justify a regular MDT hypodontia clinic.

Practical advice for successful clinical treatment with resin-bonded bridges

Resin-bonded bridges are one of the main options for replacing missing teeth for hypodontia patients. This technique offers several advantages for these patients, who are often young, have unrestored abutment teeth, and have had tooth positions optimised by orthodontic treatment. However, the replacement of missing teeth can be challenging due to tooth positions and anomalies of abutment tooth shape and size.These patients are often young adults at the time of restoration, making the minimally invasive nature and predictable long-term success of resin-bonded bridges advantageous over other treatment methods.This paper in the hypodontia themed issue discusses the importance of case selection and gives practical advice for the design and provision of resin-bonded bridges.

The role of the general dental practitioner in the management of the hypodontia patient

The general dental practitioner (GDP) is usually the first person to suspect that a young patient is affected by hypodontia. The condition occurs rarely in the primary dentition but is relatively common in the permanent dentition. Between the ages of 7 and 12 years, failure of a permanent tooth to erupt as expected will lead the GDP to initiate and then contribute to the ideal management of the patient's condition. This ranges from reassurance and preventive measures to providing aspects of treatment in a long-term management plan, alongside a multidisciplinary specialist team and thereafter, delivery of life-long dental care.

Genetic and Morphological Variation in Hypodontia of Maxillary Lateral Incisors.

(1) Background: Hypodontia has a multifactorial aetiology, in which genetic factors are a major component. Associated with this congenital absence, the formed teeth may show differences in size and shape, which may vary with the specific genetic variants and with the location of the missing teeth. The aims of the present study were to investigate a specific variant of MSX1, derive morphometric tooth measurements in a sample of patients with isolated maxillary lateral incisor agenesis and matched controls, and model the findings. (2) Methods: Genotyping of the MSX1 rs8670 genetic variant and morphometric measurements with a 2D image analysis method were performed for 26 hypodontia patients and 26 matched controls. (3) Results: The risk of upper lateral incisor agenesis was 6.9 times higher when the T allele was present. The morphometric parameters showed significant differences between hypodontia patients and controls and between the unilateral and bilateral agenesis cases. The most affected crown dimension in the hypodontia patients was the bucco-lingual dimension. In crown shape there was significant variation the Carabelli trait in upper first molars. (4) Conclusions: The MSX1 rs8670 variant was associated with variations in morphological outcomes. The new findings for compensatory interactions between the maxillary incisors indicate that epigenetic and environmental factors interact with this genetic variant. A single-level directional complex interactive network model incorporates the variations seen in this study.

The quality and reliability of the Internet as a source of information for hypodontia patients.

The aim of this study was to determine the quality, reliability and usability of information on the Internet regarding hypodontia. A survey of patients with hypodontia revealed seven key search terms favoured by patients: Hypodontia; Congenitally missing teeth; Missing teeth; Gaps in teeth; Cure of missing teeth; Information on missing teeth; and Treatment of missing teeth. These were entered into four search engines: Google; Ask; Wikipedia; and NHS Choices. Relevant websites were assessed for their overall demographics, author type, country of origin and rank within the search engine. They were then analysed using five validated assessment tools. Intra-examiner reliability was assessed, and statistical analysis of the data was undertaken. Good intra-examiner reliability was observed. A total of 48 websites were included for analysis from an initial 1718. There was no relationship between the ranking of a website on a search engine and the quality of information it contained. When medical search terminology was used, it resulted in websites of better quality than layperson search terms. Most websites were produced by general dental or specialist dental practices but the quality of these was poorer than those developed by private companies and medical organisations. The country of origin was primarily the USA and UK; however, this had no relationship to website quality. Overall, the majority of websites scored poorly for the validated tools and none scored well across multiple tools. A statistical analysis showed a positive relationship between the LIDA and DISCERN instruments but no other correlation between other validated tools was found. The quality and reliability of information on the Internet regarding hypodontia is generally poor. There is a need for a reliable online hypodontia resource that can be recommended for patient use.

"Dental Arch Dimensions in a Matched Pairs Study of Hypodontia Patients and Controls"

"Dental Arch Dimensions in a Matched Pairs Study of Hypodontia Patients and Controls"

Prevalence of Hypodontia in Orthodontic Patients at Nobel Medical College, Biratnagar

Introduction: Hypodontia or tooth agenesis is the most common developmental anomaly in craniofacial region. The multitude of problems in patients with hypodontia includes aesthetic, periodontal damage, malocclusion, inarticulate speech and alveolar bone deficiency. This commonly encountered condition in orthodontic department has variable site of occurrence, sometimes associated with syndromes. Objective: To know the patterns and types of hypodontia in orthodontic patients attending orthodontic department at Nobel Medical College, Biratnagar. Methodology: Cross sectional study of 260 orthodontic patients’ pre-treatment records i.e., casts, orthopantomogram, lateral cephalometric radiographs and photographs were taken as study materials. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data and chi square test was used to find the level of significance among genders. Results: Congenital absence of one or more teeth was observed in 28 out of 260 patients, with a frequency of 10.8%. Among the hypodontia patients, 11 (4.23%) were males and 17 (6.54%) were females. Of all 69 missing teeth, the most (68%) was observed in class I group, and the least amount belonged to class III group (10%). Conclusions: The higher prevalence of hypodontia in Orthodontic patients in this region warrants careful inspection and investigation before embarking on the diagnosis and treatment planning.

The phenotypic characteristics of patients with athelia and tooth agenesis.

BackgroundAlthough athelia, which is a congenital aplastic deformity of the nipple, is seldom reported in tooth agenesis patients, we observed athelia in 2 hypodontia patients. This study aimed to summarize the phenotypic characteristics of patients with athelia and tooth agenesis.MethodsA database search was conducted for publications reporting on patients with athelia and tooth agenesis, and the phenotypes of such patients were recorded. Athelia-related syndromes were identified in the Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) database. The common symptoms and the causative genes were documented. Potential interactions between athelia-related genes and tooth agenesis-related genes were analyzed in the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID) Bioinformatics Resources and the Search Tool for the Retrieval of Interacting Genes/Proteins (STRING) database.ResultsWe summarized the phenotypic characteristics of 8 previously reported patients. Deformities in hair, skin, and sweat glands were common in these patients. There were 23 nipple deformity-related syndromes reported. The most common symptoms included abnormalities of the head and neck, cardiovascular, genitourinary, and skeletal systems, and the skin, nails, and hair. Hypodontia was noted in association with 10 syndromes. A total of 16 genes were related to them, including TP63, KCTD1, and IKBKG. The interaction found in the study suggests that nipple deformity-related genes potentially interact with tooth agenesis-related genes.ConclusionsThese results indicated that athelia might be related to hypodontia. Additional molecular genetics research is needed to fully elucidate the underlying relationship between athelia and tooth agenesis.

Identification of Copy Number Variation Among Nonsyndromic Cleft Lip and or Without Cleft Palate With Hypodontia: A Genome-Wide Association Study.

Nonsyndromic cleft lip and or without cleft palate (NSCL/P) with the hypodontia is a common developmental abnormality in humans and animals. This study identified the genetic aberration involved in both NSCL/P and hypodontia pathogenesis. A cross-sectional study using genome-wide study copy number variation-targeted CytoScan 750K array carried out on salivary samples from 61 NSCL/P and 20 noncleft with and without hypodontia Malay subjects aged 7–13 years old. Copy number variations (CNVs) of SKI and fragile histidine triad (FHIT) were identified in NSCL/P and noncleft children using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) as a validation analysis. Copy number calculated (CNC) for each gene determined with Applied Biosystems CopyCaller Software v2.0. The six significant CNVs included gains (12q14.3, 15q26.3, 1p36.32, and 1p36.33) and losses (3p14.2 and 4q13.2) in NSCL/P with hypodontia patients compared with the NSCL/P only. The genes located in these regions encoded LEMD3, IGF1R, TP73, SKI, FHIT, and UGT2β15. There were a significant gain and loss of both SKI and FHIT copy number in NSCL/P with hypodontia compared with the noncleft group (p < 0.05). The results supported that CNVs significantly furnish to the development of NSCL/P with hypodontia.

Is there any relationship between hypodontia and hyperdontia with taurodontism, microdontia and macrodontia? A retrospective study.

Hypodontia and hyperdontia may occur with other dental anomalies such as microdontia, taurodontism, talon cusp, macrodontia and germination. The aim of this study to evaluate the relationship between hypodontia and hyperdontia with taurodontism, macrodontia and microdontia. In this retrospective study, 2,348 Turkish patients aged 7 to 12 years and treated between 01.01.2017 and 01.01.2018 in Bahcelievler Oral and Dental Health Hospital were evaluated. Data were collected and differences in the distribution of hypodontia and hyperdontia including other dental anomalies were analysed. Of the total sample of 2,348 patients, 1,126 (48%) were girls, 1,222 (52%) were boys. Hypodontia was found in 177 children (93 girls (53%), 84 boys (47%)). The prevalence of hypodontia and hyperdontia were 7.5% and 0.9%. Taurodontism is the most common dental anomalies in hypodontia patients (39%) followed by microdontia (10%). Taurodontism was more prevalent in girls (42%) than in boys (36.5%). Microdontia was found in 10 patients and macrodontia was observed in 9 hypodontia patients. Hyperdontia was found in 21 children [8 girls (38%), 13 boys (62%)]. The most common supernumerary tooth found was mesiodens (85%) and it's more prevalent in boys (67%) than in girls (33%). Taurodontism is the most common dental anomaly (48%) following macrodontia (19%) and were found to be much more prevalent in boys (53%) (23%) than in girls (37.5%) (12.5%). Microdontia was found in only 1 boy (%7.7) in hyperdontia patients. Hypodontia and hyperdontia with taurodontism, microdontia, and macrodontia need much more complex treatment plan. All cases should be evaluated using interdisciplinary approach for appropriate treatment choice. This helps in longterm and effective treatment planning according to a child's individual requirements.

Dimensions of Maxillary Lateral Incisor on the Esthetic Perception of Smile: A Comparative Study of Dental Professionals and the General Population

To evaluate the effect of the differences in the dimensions of maxillary lateral incisor on the esthetic perception of smile among dental professionals and the general population. Two sets of photographs where the maxillary incisor dimensions were modified using computer software (Adobe Photoshop) were created. In the first set, six images were included where the maxillary lateral incisor width was modified. The second set included five images where only the maxillary lateral incisor length was modified keeping the gingival margins same. Three groups of participants formed the sample. Hypodontia patients formed the first group, non-hypodontia patients formed the control group, while the dentists constituted to the third group. A total of 156 participants were recruited, 36 patients with radiographically confirmed hypodontia out of which 22 were female and 14 were male, 54 non-hypodontia "control" patients out of which 29 were female and 24 were male, and 66 dentists out of which 39 were female and 27 were male. Every participant had 15 seconds to view each photograph along with 30 seconds at the end for confirmation. The "most attractive smile" was the ones with 77% lateral incisor to central incisor width proportion according to 25.0% of the hypodontia group and 40.8% of the dentist's group, while only 4.2% of the control group agreed that it was the most attractive. However, the "least popular" was the 52% lateral incisor to central incisor width proportion according to 40.0% of patients who are hypodontic, 20.8% of participants from control group, and 49.0% of dentists. The golden proportion was not considered as the most attractive among all groups. The esthetic perceptions of the patients might not be same as that of the dentists. In general, reductions in the maxillary lateral incisor width were not all acceptable. This study will help us understand the different perceptions of the patients and the dentists on esthetics, which would further help us in planning the treatment accordingly.

Oral Rehabilitation of Hypodontia Patients Using an Endosseous Dental Implant: Functional and Aesthetic Results.

Hypodontia often leads to limited bone availability of the alveolar ridges. Oral rehabilitation of severe hypodontia patients is challenging. In this retrospective study, we evaluated the functional and aesthetic results after dental implants in hypodontia patients, corroborated by Albrektsson implant success criteria. Over a period of 15 years (2000–2015), a total of 43 patients were diagnosed with hypodontia and 165 dental implants were inserted. Six patients who received 10 implants were lost in the follow-up. We examined 155 implants in 37 patients between December 2015 and May 2017. Besides family history, patients evaluated the general satisfaction, functionality, and aesthetics of the implants. Study subjects were between 17 and 44 years old (mean ± SD: 21.4 ± 5.6). Hypodontia patients were missing one to five teeth (n = 28), whereas patients diagnosed with oligodontia (≥6 missing teeth, n = 9). In this study, 24 patients (64.9%) with hypodontia had a positive family history; the remaining 13 patients had no family member with hypodontia. The final follow-up time ranged between 5 and 189 months after implant placement. Orthodontic treatment was performed in 32 patients (86%) before implant placement. Rehabilitation resulted in 62% of the cases being treated with 1–2 implants and 38% treated with 3–15 implants. However, out of 155 inserted dental implants, 18 implants failed to meet Albrektsson criteria, under which two implants were removed. Only autografts were used for bone augmentation with 97 implants. More than two-thirds of the patients showed high general satisfaction and masticatory function (69.4%) as well as phonetic ability (80.6%). The aesthetic outcome was rated as excellent by 17 patients (47.2%). The findings emphasize the importance of interdisciplinary treatment of hypodontia, leading to a satisfactory, functional, and long-term fixed prosthodontics using dental implants.

A cross sectional study of dental implant service provision in British and Irish dental hospitals.

Introduction There are multiple ways in which treatment using dental implants is provided in a secondary care setting, not only in terms of the groups of patients treated, but also the clinicians who provide that care.Methods An online survey was circulated to speciality registrars in restorative dentistry in all UK dental hospitals and to postgraduate students in prosthodontics in the Republic of Ireland, consisting of nine questions aimed at understanding which patient groups are treated using dental implants in a hospital setting, how cases are planned, executed and to explore the underlying reasons for each unit's method of provision.Results Completed surveys were received from 67% of dental hospitals in Britain and Ireland. Treatment planning was undertaken by the restorative team alone in 64% of units in patients with hypodontia, 57% with trauma and 71% with an atrophic edentulous ridge and by a multi-disciplinary team in 50% of units for patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP) and 45% with head and neck (H&N) cancer. The restorative team place all or most of the implant fixtures in 50% of units in patients with CLP, 71% in trauma patients, 71% in hypodontia patients, 64% in edentulous patients and 43% in H&N oncology patients. Stents are produced and used by the restorative team in 64% of units for edentulous patients, 79% of patients with hypodontia, 79% of those suffering trauma, 58% of CLP patients and 50% of patients with H&N cancer. Twenty-one percent of responding units had stents made by the restorative team and used by the surgical team. The median percentage of implant-supported restorations that are screw retained is 90% (SD: 4.93, range: 25-95%) and the median percentage of zirconia abutments being used is 22.5% (SD: 5.24, range: 0-50%). Use of zygomatic implants varies hugely between responding units with 43% of them not placing any zygomatic implants.Conclusions There is a wide range of protocols and team members involved in the provision of dental implant rehabilitations throughout the British Isles reflecting the lack of any single evidence-based approach. A multi-disciplinary team approach with the restorative dentist as a key member is likely to yield the most favourable long term outcomes.

Management of missing maxillary lateral incisors in general practice: space opening versus space closure.

The aim of this paper is to inform the reader of the main principles considered in the management of mild hypodontia involving the absence of one or more maxillary lateral incisors. With increasing demand and limited resources of hospital dental services, general dental practitioners (GDPs) are required to actively participate in the restorative management of mild hypodontia cases. The objectives of this article are to discuss the arguments for and against space opening versus space closure and to highlight key points to consider in treatment planning. The paper discusses advantageous scenarios for both space opening and space closing cases, with the aim of providing the reader with some basic concepts to apply to cases in general practice. Included in the paper is guidance for practitioners on the diagnosis of a missing maxillary incisor via the use of a flow chart and table. It is hoped that this paper will support and enhance the care delivered by GDPs in the restorative management of mild hypodontia patients.

Orthodontic perspective in causing the severity of malocclusion in hypodontia patients: A clinical study

Aim: This study was aimed to compare Bolton's ratio and the arch width of patients with hypodontia with that of the control group. Materials and Methods: Ten cases with congenitally missing teeth and 10 cases of the control group were grouped in this study. It was guided by Bolton's ratio and Ashley Howe's analysis considering the tooth material and comparing tooth material to jaw size in the latter. Tooth width measurements were compared using a t-test, statistically significant at P 0.05). Arch width analysis showed significantly reduced basal arch width dimensions in hypodontia patients (P

Development of a Discrete-Choice Experiment (DCE) to Elicit Adolescent and Parent Preferences for Hypodontia Treatment.

ObjectiveOur objective was to develop and test a discrete-choice experiment (DCE) survey to elicit adolescent and parent preferences for dental care for hypodontia (a developmental condition where one or more teeth fail to develop).MethodsThis was a mixed-methods study. Participants were adolescents (aged 12–16 years) with hypodontia and their parents and the dentists providing hypodontia care. Stage one entailed attribute development, as follows. (1) Attribute identification: systematic review of hypodontia literature; interviews with adolescents with hypodontia (n = 8) and parents (n = 8); observation of hypodontia clinical consultations (n = 5); environmental scan of hypodontia patient information resources (n = 30); and systematic analysis of social media posts (n = 176). (2) Attribute selection: stakeholder consultation to develop items for a questionnaire; rating and ranking questionnaire for adolescents with hypodontia and parents (n = 18); further stakeholder consultation. Stage two involved the development of the DCE survey, and stage three included the pre-testing using cognitive interviews with adolescents (n = 12) and parents (n = 8) to assess face and content validity.ResultsThe attribute long list included 27 attributes focusing on service delivery and treatment outcome, from which seven ‘important’ attributes were selected for pre-testing. Cognitive interviewing suggested adolescents found the DCE choice tasks challenging to understand; the survey was modified to enhance its acceptability. One attribute was excluded as it showed poor validity with adolescents. Pre-testing suggested DCE choice tasks encouraged thinking and discussion about preferences for treatment.ConclusionsIncluding the target respondent group in all stages of DCE development ensured the final DCE survey was valid and acceptable. DCE methods appear to be a useful tool for exploring joint decision making alongside conventional preference elicitation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s40271-018-0338-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Frequency of missing teeth and reduction of mesiodistal tooth width in Japanese patients with tooth agenesis

BackgroundTooth agenesis can involve one or more congenitally missing teeth (CMT) and is the most common congenital dental anomalies in humans. Tooth agenesis and reduction of mesiodistal tooth width are reportedly associated, suggesting that the pathogenesis of the two conditions is related. The current study analyzed the frequency of tooth agenesis and mesiodistal tooth width in cases of hypodontia (1–5 CMT) and oligodontia (≥ 6 CMT) in Japanese patients based on the hypothesis that reductions in mesiodistal tooth width are more frequently associated with oligodontia than hypodontia.MethodsJapanese patients with tooth agenesis were divided into hypodontia cases (60 female and 25 male, mean age 19.6 years, mean CMT number 1.31 ± 1.65) and oligodontia cases (26 female and 25 male, mean age 14.6 years, mean CMT number 8.07 ± 2.39). Controls included patients with a skeletal class I relationship and no CMT (female and 60 male, mean age 20.8 years). Dental casts and orthopantomograms were used to analyze the CMT frequency and mesiodistal tooth width for each group. The Kruskal-Wallis test, the Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman’s rank correlation were used for statistical analysis.ResultsIn the hypodontia group, mandibular second premolars were the most frequently missing tooth type (25.9%), followed by mandibular and maxillary lateral incisors (19.4 and 17.1%, respectively). In the oligodontia group, mandibular second premolars were the most frequently missing tooth type (88.2%), followed by maxillary second premolars (87.3%) and first premolars (63.7%). In female subjects in the hypodontia group, only maxillary lateral incisors and mandibular first molars were significantly smaller than those of the female control subjects. In contrast, in the oligodontia group, more tooth types were significantly smaller than those of the control, for both sexes. Except for maxillary second premolars in female subjects, correlations were apparent for all tooth types in both sexes.ConclusionsCompared to hypodontia, more tooth types exhibited reduced mesiodistal tooth width in oligodontia. Correlations between CMT number and mesiodistal tooth width support the hypothesis that reduction of mesiodistal tooth width are more frequently observed in Japanese oligodontia patients than in Japanese hypodontia patients.

Patients' Acceptability of Computer-Based Information on Hypodontia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

To compare patients' acceptability of a hypodontia-specific interactive computer-based education material (ICB-EM) versus a British Orthodontic Society (BOS) hypodontia leaflet. Two-arm parallel randomized controlled trial, 1:1 allocation ratio. The study was conducted at a specialized secondary care facility in the Greater London area. Ninety-six new hypodontia patients aged 14 y and older were randomly assigned to the control group ( n = 49) receiving the BOS leaflet or the intervention group ( n = 47) receiving the ICB-EM. The main outcome measure was patients' evaluation of the intervention measured by the treatment evaluation inventory. The analyzed sample comprised 76 participants: control group ( n = 38) and intervention group ( n = 38). The mean age of the sample was 19 y (SD = 7.24) and 20.3 y (SD = 6.9) for the control and intervention group, respectively. The intervention group was significantly more satisfied with the ICB-EM than individuals who received the BOS leaflet ( t = -3.53, P = 0.001). Patients preferred the computer-based information. Patients attending dental care in the 21st century are adept in the use of computerised facilities for obtaining information. The results of the study will provide valuable evidence for clinicians on the level of acceptability of the patients toward interactive computer based health education as opposed to traditional paper leaflets.

Mesiodistal and Buccolingual Dimensions in Croatian Orthodontic Hypodontia Patients' Teeth.

ObjectiveThis study compared mesiodistal (MD) and buccolingual (BL) tooth dimensions of hypodontia patients with a control group with complete dentition. The null hypothesis was that there was no difference in tooth sizes between hypodontia patients and the controls.MethodsThe sample comprised 76 patients with hypodontia (50 female and 26 male) aged between 11 and 18 years. The control group comprised 50 females and 26 males with the same age range as the study group. Mesiodistal (MD) and buccolingual (BL) dimensions were measured on pretreatment dental casts with a digital caliper to the nearest 0.01 mm. The data were analyzed using Statistica 7.1 (StatSoft Inc.) statistical package (descriptive statistics, test of distribution normality, parametric statistics).ResultsThe most common congenitally missing teeth were the lower second premolars (left 13.45% and right 13.90%) and upper lateral incisors (both left and right 12.56%), followed by upper second premolars (right 9.4o% and left 10.31%). The greatest differences between the study and control group were found in upper lateral incisors, 8.08% in MD and 6.40% in BL dimension. The smallest difference was found in BL dimension of lower lateral incisor (2.37%), MD dimension of lower second premolars and upper first molar (2.61%) and MD dimension of lower central incisor (2.26%).ConclusionThe teeth are smaller in subjects with hypodontia than those of the controls on average 4.02% in MD dimension and 3.85% in BL dimension. The tooth that showed the greatest difference in tooth dimension was maxillary lateral incisor.

The Current Evidence on Retaining or Prosthodontically Replacing Retained Deciduous Teeth in the Adult Hypodontia Patient: A Systematic Review.

This systematic review aims to evaluate the survival of retaining or replacing deciduous teeth in hypodontia patients with a variety of prosthetic tooth replacement options, to evaluate prognostic factors associated with retaining deciduous teeth, and report on patient based outcomes with these treatment modalities. MEDLINE, The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Science Direct databases were searched (01/1980 - 08/2017) for studies reporting outcomes associated with retaining or replacing deciduous teeth via prosthetic means in adult hypodontia patients. Twenty-one articles were included. The following survival figures were reported; retaining deciduous tooth/teeth (83%-93%), resin-bonded bridgework (59-96.9%) and implants (86-100%). No survival data was reported for fixed or removable partial dentures. Prognostic factors for deciduous tooth survival, quality of life and patient satisfaction data were also reported. Within the limits of this review, retaining deciduous teeth have reasonable survival; however, studies beyond the third decade of life are lacking. Dental implants appear to be a highly successful long-term tooth replacement option with high patient satisfaction within this patient group, as have resin-bonded bridgework, albeit over the short to medium term. Tooth replacement options in the form of fixed and removable partial dentures were poorly reported upon.