Prosthodontic Rehabilitation for a Patient with Down Syndrome: A Clinical Report

Abstract

Patients with Down syndrome can present with a variety of oral manifestations such as hypodontia, periodontal disease, premature tooth loss, reduced salivary flow, crowding of teeth in both arches, and decreased occlusal vertical dimension. The intellectual ability of people with Down syndrome varies widely. They present with a mild-to-moderate intellectual disability that restricts their ability to communicate and adjust to their environment, which can add complexity in the overall dental treatment. There is little information in the literature regarding the prosthodontic rehabilitation for patients with Down syndrome in combination with dental implant placement. An implant-assisted removable partial dental prosthesis can be a cost-effective treatment alternative for carefully chosen patients with Down syndrome. This article presents the treatment of a 44-year-old male patient with Down syndrome and a moderate intellectual disability who presented with congenital and acquired tooth loss with significant occlusal discrepancies. The treatment included a prosthodontic approach that used a single dental implant, which will be described and illustrated in this article.