Loss of deciduous teeth--is timing important to the GDP?

UNLABELLED On a daily basis, GDPs encounter patients with prematurely lost deciduous teeth or, conversely, deciduous teeth retained well past their accepted exfoliaton date. The timing of deciduous tooth loss impacts on many aspects of the developing occlusion. The aim of the article is both to describe this impact and also to set out guidelines which should assist the general dental practitioner in the decision of when to lose deciduous teeth. CLINICAL RELEVANCE The timing of deciduous tooth loss is an important concept which, when outside the normal pattern, may have adverse or beneficial side-effects that general dental practitioners should fully understand.