Prevalence of dental anomalies in the permanent dentition of children with Down syndrome.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of various congenital dental anomalies in the permanent dentition of Turkish children with Down syndrome.

METHODS

The sample consisted of 216 diagnostic records of children diagnosed with Down syndrome. All subjects had a clinical examination as well as radiographs and photographs taken. Anomalies in the permanent dentition were documented.

RESULTS

There was a high incidence of dental anomalies, the most frequent being taurodontism (81 percent), rotation (28 percent), hypodontia (26 percent), tooth impaction (18 percent), ectopic eruption (14 percent), microdontia (13 percent), and hyperdontia (9 percent). Differences in prevalence of congenitally missing teeth, structural anomalies, and positional anomalies reached a statistically significant level regarding gender (P<.05).

CONCLUSION

Turkish children with Down syndrome presented a high incidence of anomalies affecting the permanent dentition, and, in most cases, individuals presented with more than one anomaly.