Prosthetic rehabilitation of a child with Rapp-Hodgkin syndrome.

The purpose of this paper was to report the case of a 6-year-old male patient who was clinically diagnosed as having Rapp-Hodgkin syndrome-a variant of ectodermal dysplasia characterized by dysplastic disorders of the skin, hair, and nails associated with cleft lip and/or palate. The patient exhibited only the primary maxillary and mandibular canines bilaterally. Restorative treatment was performed on all primary canines, followed by aquisition of maxillary and mandibular impressions for fabrication of acrylic removable partial dentures with circumferential clasps on the primary canines. The dentures allowed recovery of the vertical dimension and excellent esthetics. Hypodontia of several teeth associated with ectodermal dysplasia, as in this case involving Rapp-Hodgkin syndrome, causes several functional and esthetic alterations. These disorders should be diagnosed and treated as early as possible to restore the normal function, allow adequate mastication and speech, enhance esthetics, and, consequently, promote the patient's self-esteem and social integration.