title: Dental characteristics of patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
abstract: A comprehensive assessment of the dental characteristics of 23 patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) was carried out, based on dental records, oral examinations and dental models. Decreasing muscle function was associated with increased plaque and calculus accumulation, leading to gingival inflammation, but caries experience was low. Disturbances in tooth form, number and eruption of the second premolars were observed in 39% of patients. Anterior and posterior open bites were common, associated with lip incompetence, mouth breathing, macroglossia and tongue thrusting. Maxillary and mandibular arch breadths were significantly larger, on average, in the DMD group than in controls. Rather than a normal parabolic arch form, the dental arches in DMD patients tended to be hyperbolic, with the posterior teeth being displaced buccally, consistent with an imbalance between the lingual and facial musculature.
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Symons
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Townsend
authors.forename: T E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Hughes
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001641:Bicuspid / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D004245:DMF Index; D003724:Dental Arch / Q000473:pathology; D003728:Dental Calculus / Q000145:classification; D003773:Dental Plaque / Q000145:classification; D003792:Dental Records; D005152:Facial Muscles / Q000503:physiopathology; D005891:Gingivitis / Q000145:classification; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008046:Lip / Q000503:physiopathology; D008260:Macroglossia / Q000145:classification; D008297:Male; D003765:Models, Dental; D009048:Motor Skills / Q000502:physiology; D009058:Mouth Breathing / Q000145:classification; D020388:Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D024343:Open Bite / Q000145:classification; D010808:Physical Examination; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D014061:Tongue Habits; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000145:classification*; D014078:Tooth Eruption / Q000502:physiology