Early implant rehabilitation in anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia

Introduction. Anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (EAD) is an inherited syndrome with an incidence of one per 100,000 live births and is characterized by hypotrichosis, anhidrosis or hypohidrosis, and oligodontia. Various treatment options for the dental rehabilitation of children presenting with this disease haven been published. There is however no consensus on what age implants should be placed. Our purpose was to describe the disease and rehabilitation with early implants through two case reports. Observation. Our two patients, a brother and sister, aged 14 and 15 years respectively, presented with EAD, maxillary hypodontia, and mandibular anodontia. They benefited from an orthodontic surgical treatment followed by prosthetic treatment. We designed a removable prosthesis on mandibular implants for the boy when he was 14, which was later replaced by a fixed prosthesis on implants. We shifted the lateral maxillary incisors orthodontically to a canine position, then performed autologous bone grafting for the placement of six implants. The same bone graft technique was used for the sister to insert four maxillary implants. The follow-up after implant placement was 7 and 4 years, respectively. On the latest follow-up, the results were stable, functional, and esthetic. Discussion. Dental implants are a reliable oral rehabilitation treatment for children presenting with ectodermal dysplasia. (C) 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.