RGO: Revista Gaúcha de Odontologia (Dec 2009)
Periodontal disease in individuals with Down Syndrome: genetic focus
Abstract
Fundamental concepts of etiology, inheritance and clinical characteristics of Down syndrome are used in this review as a basis for submission of studies that focus on periodontal disease in individuals with Down syndrome, since almost 100% of them develop the disease in adult life. It is believed that in association with environmental and cultural factors related to hygiene and disabilities of coordination, the immunological characteristics that are found altered in individuals with Down syndrome, such as deficient neutrophil chemotaxis and reduced number of mature T lymphocytes, may contribute to the greater prevalence and severity of periodontal involvement in patients with Down syndrome. Moreover, the pattern of periodontal destruction observed in individuals with Down syndrome is consistent with aggressive periodontitis, with a predominance of periodontopathogens such as Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis and Tannerella forsythensis during childhood and adolescence of Down’s syndrome patients. It is possible to note a relationship between the development of molecular techniques and the evolution of knowledge about Down syndrome, for example: identification of the trisomy syndrome by observing only part of chromosome 21 (distal long arm); identification of genes in this trisomic region and the pattern of superexpression (or not) of these genes. Moreover, in this review future perspectives are presented with regard to better understanding Down syndrome in the genetic context, which will reflect in more individualized and effective clinical treatments that will provide these patients with a better quality of life.
