Early surgical management of cleidocranial dysplasia: a preliminary report.

Cleidocranial dysplasia is an interesting syndrome for the dental practitioner. The failure of eruption of the permanent teeth is secondary to both a mechanical obstruction and a lack of resorption of the overlying bone. Various modes of treatment have been suggested to manage this problem. We feel that early surgical management with serial uncovering of the permanent teeth is the best choice. This treatment will probably need to be combined with orthodontics or prosthetic care, depending on the success of the surgical procedures. In both of our cases the erupting teeth have been malaligned and malrotated, necessitating subsequent use of orthodontic appliances. To our knowledge these patients are among the youngest patients with cleidocranial dysplasia to undergo this treatment. Our preliminary results are encouraging.