Congenitally missing teeth (hypodontia): A review of the literature concerning the etiology, prevalence, risk factors, patterns and treatment

Abstract

Congenitally missing teeth (CMT), or as usually called hypodontia, is a highly prevalent and costly dental anomaly. Besides an unfavorable appearance, patients with missing teeth may suffer from malocclusion, periodontal damage, insufficient alveolar bone growth, reduced chewing ability, inarticulate pronunciation and other problems. Treatment might be usually expensive and multidisciplinary. This highly frequent and yet expensive anomaly is of interest to numerous clinical, basic science and public health fields such as orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, prosthodontics, periodontics, maxillofacial surgery, anatomy, anthropology and even the insurance industry. This essay reviews the findings on the etiology, prevalence, risk factors, occurrence patterns, skeletal changes and treatments of congenitally missing teeth. It seems that CMT usually appears in females and in the permanent dentition. It is not conclusive whether it tends to occur more in the maxilla or mandible and also in the anterior versus posterior segments. It can accompany various complications and should be attended by expert teams as soon as possible.

Non Syndromic Familial Hypodontia - A Case Series

“…It can be inherited in an autosomal dominant, autosomal recessive or an X linked pattern. The etiology of congenitally missing teeth is reported to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors which can cause disturbances to the tooth germ during the initial formation stages [5,6]. The present cases represent a sporadic, non-syndromic familial form of hypodontia.…”

“…Additionally, Case 3 also showed microdontia in the form of maxillary peg shaped laterals. The treatment approach for hypodontia is specific to each case and is dependent on many factors such as the number of teeth missing, the condition and longevity of the primary predecessor, size and number of teeth remaining in both arches, the occlusal status, facial growth patterns, patient and parent preferences including the financial aspect of the treatment options offered [4,16,17]. A multidisciplinary approach is highly recommended which helps in the short and long-term treatment planning.…”

“…This will facilitate the future placement of an implant in favorable locations, with a reduced need for bone grafting [4,14,16,17]. Cases 1 and 2 displayed little or no resorption of retained maxillary primary canines at the time of diagnosis.…”

“…Various studies report that hypodontia is more commonly seen in the maxillary arch and the permanent dentition is much more affected than the primary dentition [3,4]. A review of the literature indicates that the etiology of hypodontia is multifactorial and has been reported to be due to genetic as well as environmental factors [5]. Recent studies indicate the role of the genes in the tooth morphogenesis from the initiation, patterning and histogenesis of dental tissues.…”

Association Between Dental Caries in Primary Dentition with Low Birth Weight and Premature Birth: A Case-Control Study

“…Besides, DMFT diagnosis could be enhanced by radiographic means (24). However, exposure to X-ray without treatment or screening needs and merely for research purposes might not be ethical (25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31). Due to that limitation and lack of cooperation of govern- (20,32).…”