A practical approach to dental care for patients with Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome

• Published in: Special care in dentistry Vol. 42; no. 2; p. 137
• Main Authors: Serrano Martín, Candela, Fernández Feijoo, Javier, García Mato, Eliane, Varela Aneiros, Iván, Diniz Freitas, Marcio, Vázquez García, Emma, Limeres Posse, Jacobo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.03.2022
• Subjects: Cleft Lip; Cleft Palate; Dental Care; Female; Humans; Intellectual Disability; Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome - complications; Wolf-Hirschhorn Syndrome - genetics; dental management y rare disorders; 4p; dentistry; Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome
• ISSN: 1754-4505
• DOI: 10.1111/scd.12644

Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome is a polymalformative chromosomal disorder caused by a deletion in the distal region of the short arm of chromosome 4. The disease is considered rare (1/50,000 births) and predominantly affects females (2:1). In addition to the characteristic facial phenotype ("Greek warrior helmet"), its clinical manifestations include epilepsy, developmental and psychomotor delay, intellectual disability, cardiac and respiratory complications, and eating problems. The most prevalent oral manifestations are hypodontia, delayed tooth eruption, morphological dental abnormalities, dental malocclusions, cleft lip/palate and ogival palate. Based on our clinical experience, Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome does not represent an absolute contraindication for any type of dental procedure. The feasibility of dental treatment will depend mainly on the degree of epilepsy control and on the level of collaboration, this latter conditioned by the severity of the intellectual disability and communication difficulties.