DENTAL CONSIDERATIONS IN PATIENTS WITH DOWN SYNDROME

Approximately one out of every 600-1,000 births results in an extra chromosome of the twenty first group called Trisomy 21 or Down syndrome. Usually most of the dental treatment for persons with Down syndrome can be carried out in a general dental office with relatively minor adaptations. In undergraduate dental training there is usually little or no exposure to treating such patients and the general practitioners may be hesitant to treat these patients with confidence. This paper attempted to summarise the unique characteristics associated with Down syndrome that influence the dental care and treatment of this population. Several search engines were searched for articles relating to this topic with special reference to PUBMED indexed journals over the last 10 years.