Treatment of multiple tooth ankylosis with removable prosthesis: case report.

Ectodermal dysplasia is a hereditary disorder characterized by the absence or defect of two or more ectodermally derived structures. These structures include teeth, hair, skin, nails, and sweat glands. Oligodontia, anodontia, and dysmorphic teeth have been reported in both the primary and permanent dentition of affected individuals. Hair tends to be sparse and very fine while skin is dry due to absence or diminished numbers of sweat glands. If hypohidrosis is a feature of the disorder, heat intolerance is common. Freire-Maia and Pinheiro have described and classified 117 forms of ectodermal dysplasia based on combinations of specific clinical and morphological features. This disorder may be transmitted by all mendelian modes of inheritance, as well as by spontaneous de novo mutations. The phenotypic expression of ectodermal dysplasia is variable. Therefore, affected individuals may exhibit a range of clinical features involving teeth, hair, skin, and sweat glands. Tooth ankylosis is defined as a fusion of cementum or dentin with alveolar bone. Affected teeth are unable to move vertically as the alveolar bone grows and, therefore, appear to submerge below the occlusal plane. There has been much debate in the dental literature concerning the diagnosis, etiology, and treatment of ankylosis.' Some primary ankylosed teeth will exfoliate normally and not interfere with permanent suc-