Restorative dentistry clinical decision-making for hypodontia: managing missing premolar teeth.

Hypodontia is a relatively common clinical condition and the second premolar tooth is the most common tooth that fails to develop (excluding third molars). For some patients, no treatment is required, as there is little, if any, consequence of the condition. For other patients, the missing teeth are part of a more complex dental presentation, requiring specialist dental management. This paper describes the clinical decision-making process and explores the options for managing this presentation of hypodontia.

The role of the general dental practitioner in the management of the hypodontia patient.

The general dental practitioner (GDP) is usually the first person to suspect that a young patient is affected by hypodontia. The condition occurs rarely in the primary dentition but is relatively common in the permanent dentition. Between the ages of 7 and 12 years, failure of a permanent tooth to erupt as expected will lead the GDP to initiate and then contribute to the ideal management of the patient's condition. This ranges from reassurance and preventive measures to providing aspects of treatment in a long-term management plan, alongside a multidisciplinary specialist team and thereafter, delivery of life-long dental care.