Early Tooth Loss Related to Medical Syndromes: Review of More Than 20 Entities

Teeth play various significant roles in the oral cavity. Tooth loss can result in disturbance in normal functions of the oral cavity and masticatory system. Teeth also play a crucial role in the facial aesthetics, and edentulism could have undesirable emotional impacts on the level of one’s self-confidence. Early tooth loss is defined as the loss of teeth prior to the normal expected period of time. Factors that could lead to edentulism could be divided in two groups: local and systemic factors. Local factors such as poor oral hygiene or structural defects in the teeth could increase the incidence of caries, and eventually, if not restored, these caries make the teeth unable to remain in the oral cavity. Poor oral hygiene also increases the risk of periodontal disease, which affects the supporting tissues of the teeth. Some systemic diseases such as diabetes, Sjogren’s syndrome, hypophosphatasia, etc. could also have unfavorable impacts on the oral cavity and teeth, and make them susceptible to exfoliation. In this review article, we have tried to concentrate on a number of medical syndromes as a systemic cause of early tooth loss in order to enlighten the vision of physicians and dentists into this important aspect of adversities that these syndromes could result in.