Aspects on dental hard tissues in primary teeth from patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.
BACKGROUND
Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is a rare hereditary condition affecting connective tissues and dental hard tissues.


OBJECTIVE
Primary enamel and dentine from EDS patients were expected to differ from those of healthy subjects regarding morphology and chemical composition.


METHODS
Forty-seven exfoliated primary teeth from 25 patients with EDS were investigated. Morphology was studied using a polarized light microscope, scanning electron microscope, and X-ray microanalysis. Comparisons were made with 36 primary teeth from 36 healthy patients.


RESULTS
Morphological analysis of enamel in EDS teeth showed a high frequency of postnatally hypomineralized enamel and postnatally located incremental lines, whereas dentine was normal in all patients. Chemical analysis could not reveal any differences between EDS and control patients except for lower content of C and a higher Ca/P ratio in the enamel in the EDS teeth, indicating porous enamel. Regarding dentine, EDS teeth had a lower content of C, and a higher content of Ca, P, and O. Ratios for Ca/C and Ca/O were also higher compared with controls.


CONCLUSIONS
There are several aberrations of booth enamel and dentine in primary teeth from patients with EDS. These could explain the occurrence of both more dental caries and tooth fractures in patients with EDS.
Klingberg
Gunilla
G
Mun-H-Center, National Orofacial Resource Centre for Rare Disorders, Göteborg, Sweden. gunilla.klingberg@vgregion.se
Hagberg
Catharina
C
Norén
Jörgen G
JG
Nietzsche
Sandor
S
D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D003804:Dentin / Q000737:chemistry / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D004535:Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010710:Phosphates / Q000032:analysis; D012016:Reference Values; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014071:Tooth Abnormalities / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D017001:Tooth Demineralization / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000737:chemistry / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure
D010710:Phosphates; D002118:Calcium