The interdisciplinary management of hypodontia: background and role of paediatric dentistry

Abstract

This paper is the first of a series on the comprehensive management of young people with hypodontia. The paper looks at the background to the condition, the possible aetiological factors, the prevalence of hypodontia and other related conditions. Lastly there is consideration of the role of the paediatric dentist in interdisciplinary management of the affected child and adolescent patient.

A study of patients attending a multidisciplinary hypodontia clinic over a five year period

“…1 There are both genetic 2,3 and environmental 4,5 components to the aetiology of hypodontia. 6 It can be associated with cleft lip/palate and other genetic syndromes.…”

“…16 Similar combined, multidisciplinary clinics are held in other dental hospitals of the United Kingdom. 1,17,18 Hobkirk et al 18 presented demographic data for those attenders, but there appears to be a dearth of contemporary information regarding treatment planning and outcomes. Furthermore, it would be useful for general dental practitioners to have information about treatment options and how it will affect their patients.…”

Prevalence and Pattern of Non-Syndromic Hypodontia in a Group of Turkish Children

“…Dental agenesis affects more frequently the permanent dentition rather than the primary dentition (1,2,3,4). Hypodontia may detrimentally affect the aesthetics and function (4,5,6,7). Developmentally missing teeth may be the result of numerous etiologic factors such as changes of the dental lamina formation, failure of tooth germ to develop at the optimal time, space limitation, systemic condition and genetic factors (8,9).…”

The influence of varying maxillary lateral incisor dimensions on perceived smile aesthetics

“…These options include accepting the space, orthodontic space closure with substitution of the lateral incisor by the canine, or opening the space for tooth replacement. [5][6][7][8][9][10] Currently, osseointegrated implants are the preferred treatment alternative by many den tists for replacing missing anterior teeth. 10 Many patients with congenitally missing maxillary lateral incisors lack sufficient space for ideal restoration.…”