Many patients with hypophosphatasia lose their deciduous teeth significantly earlier than normal, sometimes as young as between one and three years old. They often lose these teeth with the whole root and without gum inflammation. This applies primarily to the front teeth in the lower jaw, but all deciduous teeth can be affected. Early loss of deciduous teeth can be the principal sign of the disease in many patients with all the various forms of HPP.There is also a risk that adults with hypophosphatasia will be affected by dental problems. In patients with hypophosphatasia who are not diagnosed until adulthood, the periodontal element of the disease will often have been pronounced since childhood.
Tooth-loosening of intact deciduous teeth with root
Reibel A et al. 2009
Other tooth-related problems may include:
- Enlarged pulp chambers and root canals
- Abnormal enamel and dentin formation
- Deviations in tooth shape, structure and eruption
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