Congenital hypothyrodism and its oral manifestations

Abstract

Hypothyroidism is one of the most common thyroid disorders. Hypothyroidism can be congenital in cases when the thyroid gland does not develop normally. Female predominance is a characteristic of congenital hypothyroidism. Dental characteristics of hypothyroidism are thick lips, a large-sized tongue which, due to its position, can elicit anterior open bite as well as fanned-out anterior teeth. In these cases, delayed eruption of primary and permanent dentitions can be observed, and teeth, even though normal-sized, are crowded due to the small-sized jaws. This study presents clinical cases of female patients diagnosed with congenital hypothyroidism who sought treatment at the Dental Pediatrics Unit of the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico.