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Department of Dentistry for Children
CASE CHARLES
OF
EDEX’I’ULOCS
13. BRAY,
D.D.H.,
CHILD BIRMINGHAM,
A1,.4
T
HE child, a boy, was born April 9, 1922. The delivery was normal and there was nothing abnormal about the appearance or general condition of the baby at time of birth and for some time thereafter. He was first seen when nearly three years old, at which time he was brought to the clinic 01” Fig. 1
Fig. L-Appearance Fig. P.-Appearance
of patient before weWi% glates. of patient wearing plates.
the American Cast Iron Pipe Co. for examination. He was then acutely ill, having a temperature of 102” I+‘.> and having bilateral suppurative otitis media and moderate cervical adenitis. The tonsils had already been removed. It was at once noted that he had no teeth, and this defect gave the child the appearance of an old man. After subsidence of the acute illness which The caused him to come under observation, the case was studied in detail, 602
Case
of Edentulous
Child
603
father had always been in good healt,h except for occasional attacks of acute sinus infection. The mother, who was also still living, had been in good general health but had had four miscarriages and had been operated Neither upon several times for gynecologic conditions secondary thereto. parent gave any history or showed any signs of lues and both their Wassermann test’s were negative. Examination of the child showed a complete absence of teeth, and the x-ra.y examination indicated a complet,e absence of tooth buds. The parents stat,ed that no teeth had ever erupted prior to the time he was brought to the clinic. In addition to being edentulous, the child also showed a small umbilical hernia. The case has been followed, and the patient has been kept under continuous observation since he was first seen. In regard to his general systemic condit,ion, the child progressed normally except that he showed a rather unusual susceptibility to respiratory infections, having had pneumonia once and acute influenza complicated with otitis media on several occasions. It was also difficult for him to eat a full and balanced diet appropriate for his age because of the lack of teeth. Numerous x-ray examinations were made from t,ime to time, to see what,, if any, signs of tooth development could be found. At the age of four years, two canine teeth, one in each side of the mandible, erupted. No other teeth have erupted since, and no signs of tooth buds have appeared in the x-ray pictures taken from time to time. The child seems unquestionably to be destined to be permanently edentulous except. for the two canine teeth that appeared at the age of four. When the child was thirt,een years of age, after I was convinced tha.t he would probably have no other teeth, I made an upper and lower denture for him, both for cosmetic reasons and to enable him to eat a wider variety of food and to chew more normally. He is now wearing the plates with increasing satisfaction. He has gained fifteen pounds since beginning to use them, and they have improved his appearance remarkably, as Figs. I and 2 show. He has also shown a marked improvement in his school work. It is interesting to note that the parents have another child, born three years after this boy, whose teeth show nothing abnormal.
OF
EDEX’I’ULOCS
13. BRAY,
D.D.H.,
CHILD BIRMINGHAM,
A1,.4
T
HE child, a boy, was born April 9, 1922. The delivery was normal and there was nothing abnormal about the appearance or general condition of the baby at time of birth and for some time thereafter. He was first seen when nearly three years old, at which time he was brought to the clinic 01” Fig. 1
Fig. L-Appearance Fig. P.-Appearance
of patient before weWi% glates. of patient wearing plates.
the American Cast Iron Pipe Co. for examination. He was then acutely ill, having a temperature of 102” I+‘.> and having bilateral suppurative otitis media and moderate cervical adenitis. The tonsils had already been removed. It was at once noted that he had no teeth, and this defect gave the child the appearance of an old man. After subsidence of the acute illness which The caused him to come under observation, the case was studied in detail, 602
Case
of Edentulous
Child
603
father had always been in good healt,h except for occasional attacks of acute sinus infection. The mother, who was also still living, had been in good general health but had had four miscarriages and had been operated Neither upon several times for gynecologic conditions secondary thereto. parent gave any history or showed any signs of lues and both their Wassermann test’s were negative. Examination of the child showed a complete absence of teeth, and the x-ra.y examination indicated a complet,e absence of tooth buds. The parents stat,ed that no teeth had ever erupted prior to the time he was brought to the clinic. In addition to being edentulous, the child also showed a small umbilical hernia. The case has been followed, and the patient has been kept under continuous observation since he was first seen. In regard to his general systemic condit,ion, the child progressed normally except that he showed a rather unusual susceptibility to respiratory infections, having had pneumonia once and acute influenza complicated with otitis media on several occasions. It was also difficult for him to eat a full and balanced diet appropriate for his age because of the lack of teeth. Numerous x-ray examinations were made from t,ime to time, to see what,, if any, signs of tooth development could be found. At the age of four years, two canine teeth, one in each side of the mandible, erupted. No other teeth have erupted since, and no signs of tooth buds have appeared in the x-ray pictures taken from time to time. The child seems unquestionably to be destined to be permanently edentulous except. for the two canine teeth that appeared at the age of four. When the child was thirt,een years of age, after I was convinced tha.t he would probably have no other teeth, I made an upper and lower denture for him, both for cosmetic reasons and to enable him to eat a wider variety of food and to chew more normally. He is now wearing the plates with increasing satisfaction. He has gained fifteen pounds since beginning to use them, and they have improved his appearance remarkably, as Figs. I and 2 show. He has also shown a marked improvement in his school work. It is interesting to note that the parents have another child, born three years after this boy, whose teeth show nothing abnormal.