Hypodontia Patients Research Articles

Prosthodontic management of older severe hypodontia patients in general dental practice: A case series

Although a detailed understanding of the etiology of hypodontia is lacking, there is a need for awareness among dental professionals of the social and psychological consequences of severe hypodontia, as well as knowledge of those affected by hypodontia have ongoing dental treatment needs. Although, there may be a need for immediate referral of children to different specialists for optimal multidisciplinary treatment planning, most older patients with severe hypodontia can be treated by general practitioners. Practitioners therefore need to be aware of the ramifications of the condition and be capable of providing adequate oral health care for these patients and referring them for additional services when necessary. A case-report series is used to illustrate routine prosthodontic treatments that can be offered to older patients in general dental practice.

The use of osseointegrated implants in orthodontic patients: 2. Absolute anchorage.

Following the first article which explored the use of restorative implants in orthodontic patients which are later used to replace missing teeth, such as in hypodontia patients, this second paper examines the use of implants in orthodontics to provide 'Absolute Anchorage' after highlighting the standard orthodontic approaches to anchorage. It explains the advantages and disadvantages such methods give the specialist in treating full arch orthodontic patients over standard techniques used in modern orthodontics. Three different types of implant used in full arch orthodontic treatment are described in detail; the mid palatal implant, the OnPlant and the mini screw. The methods used in placing the implants and the techniques employed to gain the anchorage required are highlighted.

The interdisciplinary management of hypodontia: the relationship between an interdisciplinary team and the general dental practitioner

This paper will illustrate how the general dental practitioner can provide care for patients with hypodontia. It will demonstrate how an interdisciplinary team works for hypodontia patients and, in particular, for those with severe hypodontia.

Tooth dimensions in hypodontia patients, their unaffected relatives and a control group measured by a new image analysis system.

Tooth dimensions were compared between index patients with severe hypodontia (six or more congenitally missing teeth), their relatives with a full complement of teeth, and a control group. The groups consisted of 12 index cases (seven females and five males), 21 relatives without hypodontia (13 females and eight males), and a control group of 10 males and 10 females with complete dentitions, and no family history of hypodontia. All formed teeth were imaged buccally and occlusally from study models, with a digital camera linked to a computer. The images were acquired and measured using Adobe Photoshop and Image Pro Plus, respectively. Mesiodistal, buccolingual, or occlusogingival area and perimeter measurements were determined from each image. In the index hypodontia group tooth dimensions were significantly smaller (P < 0.001, Bonferroni corrected level) for maxillary and mandibular canines, and first premolars for all dimensions from the buccal view, and for maxillary and mandibular canines and first premolars, maxillary central incisors, maxillary first molars, mandibular lateral incisors, and mandibular second premolars for all dimensions from the occlusal view. In the relatives without hypodontia compared with the control group, mesiodistal dimensions from the buccal view were significantly smaller (P < 0.001) for the central incisors and maxillary first and second premolars, and for the maxillary and mandibular first premolars for all dimensions from the occlusal view. There was a trend for the tooth dimensions of all teeth in the index group to be smaller compared with the control group. The tooth dimensions of the relatives without hypodontia also tended to be smaller than the control group, but were larger than those of the index cases.

Further Studies of a Model for the Etiology of Anomalies of Tooth Number and Size in Humans

A multifactorial model based on an underlying continuous distribution of tooth size, with thresholds determining hypodontia and supernumeraries, has been proposed [1]. Our aim is to investigate this model by comparing tooth morphology of affected patients and their first degree relatives with normal controls. An image analysis system [2] was used to measure teeth on study models of controls, patients with hypodontia of varying degrees and location, first-degree relatives of hypodontia index cases, and patients with supernumerary teeth in the maxillary incisor region. Mesio-distal crown size in hypodontia patients was smaller than controls, and this difference was significant for all tooth types. There was a general pattern: the more severe the hypodontia, the smaller the size of the tooth formed. Patients with supernumerary teeth had permanent maxillary central and lateral incisors and canines that were significantly larger in mesio-distal width than controls. The maxillary central incisors also differed in taper in supernumerary patients compared to controls. Hypodontia prevalence was higher in first-degree relatives (22%) of hypodontia index cases than in the general population (4.4%), and unaffected relatives had smaller teeth than controls. Thus, there were generalized and localized effects within the dentition, and these findings are compatible with the statistical expectations of the proposed multifactorial model.