Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Juvenile hypothyiroidism shows various complications depending on the correctitude of substitutive treatment.

Aims of the study: To identify the massive facial changes with occlusive disorders, dental malpositions, altered chronology of dental eruption, periodontal changes in terms of absence of thyroid replacement therapy or drug sub-dosing.

Methods: The study group comprised 24 children, 15 girls and 8 boys; 4 cases of congenital myxedema;19 cases of earned hypothyroidism and the mean age was 9±2.4 years- that presented in their evolution periods of underdosed substitutive thyroxine treatment.

Results: Facial changes: infiltrated facial skin and lips; widened transverse diameter of the skull; microretrognathia – 12 cases (52%). pale and infiltrated lingual and jugal mucosa, 14 children (60.8%) – lingual fungal detritus; 8 children (34.7%) – ‘geographic’ tongue. Occlusive disorders: frontal malocclusion in the sagittal plane – 19 children (80%); front reverse occlusion – 8 cases (34.7%); open bite – 4 cases (17.4%); lower proalveolodentition with interdental spacing – 17 children (68%). Dental malpositions:reverse overlap – 11 cases (47.8%), eruption of central upper incisors in vestibular position – 1 case (4.3%); bilateral ectopic canine – 1 case (4.3%); dentoalveolar incongruence – 1 case (4.3%). The chronology of dental eruption: late eruption – 19 patients (78.2%); prolonged mixed dentition – 14 patients (60.8%); taurodontism – upper molars–1 case (4.3%); accelerating the teeth eruption when introducing thyroxine therapy between 6 and 8 months. Periodontal changes: pathological dental mobility, pathological diastemas, gingival recession, real periodontal pockets – 8 cases (34.7%).

Conclusions: In hypothyroid child prevail the disorders of occlusion and chronology of eruption. Early diagnosis and a well conducted thyroxine treatment requires the prophylaxy of dento-maxillary complications in children.