Craniofacial growth and functional change in oligodontia with ectodermal dysplasia: a case report

A case of ectodermal dysplasia in a Japanese boy is presented in this report. After prosthetic treatment was performed with partial dentures in both jaws, mandibular movement, dental casts, and lateral and frontal cephalograms were taken at an initial visit (age 7 years 8 months), and at follow-up 1 year and 8 months later (age 9 years 3 months) to evaluate the developmental changes in masticatory movement, dental arch width, and craniofacial morphology. Stability of the jaw movements improved during the follow-up period both with and without dentures. The facial skeleton grew between the initial visit and follow-up. Mandibular length remained long compared with the average value for Japanese children. A possible genetic marker for mandibular growth (growth hormone receptor), which is considered to be an important factor in mandibular growth and development, was analysed for the gene variant and the result supported the characteristic mandibular growth in the reported case. These results indicate the characteristic craniofacial growth in this disease and emphasize the potential ability of functional development of jaw movements with oligodontia.