Osseointegrated implants in the oral habilitation of a boy with ectodermal dysplasia: a case report

The most characteristic oral feature in ectodermal dysplasia is hypodontia. Children and adolescents suffering from ectodermal dysplasia often need extensive and complicated prosthetic treatment. The development of techniques for osseointegrated implants offers new possibilities for the oral habilitation of these children. This paper describes the oral habilitation of a boy with severe ectodermal dysplasia and where Brånemark osseointegrated implants have been used as part of the treatment. The patient was seen at the dental department at the age of 1.5 years. Two conically-shaped upper incisors were at that time the only teeth that had erupted. The treatment was planned in a multidisciplinary odontological group involving paediatric dentistry, orthodontics, prosthodontics, oral surgery and maxillofacial radiology. At the age of 3 years it was verified that the boy had four primary teeth (53, 51, 61, 63) and four permanent teeth (16, 11, 21, 26). There were no teeth in the lower jaw. The alveolar ridges in the edentulous areas were low or missing. During the period 3-6 years of age the boy used an upper partial denture adapted to allow the mesial drift of the 16 and 26 teeth. At the age of 6 years, two Brånemark implants were inserted in the lower front-cuspid region. A specially designed overdenture for the lower jaw was constructed. The overdenture was retained in contact with the male attachments by two cuffs of heat-polymerized resilient silicone. Over the next 4 years the dentures were modified due to the eruption of permanent teeth and growth. However, only minor corrections were necessary concerning the retention system of the lower denture. The implants are well osseointegrated and stable and allow the boy to use a lower denture without any complications.