INFANTILE OSTEOPETROSIS - A CASE-REPORT ON DENTAL FINDINGS

In this paper we have described the case of a 7-yr-old Moroccan osteopetrotic boy, who had received a bone marrow transplant (BMT). He was transplanted from his older brother and, despite immunosuppressive therapy, developed chronic graft-versus-host disease and was placed on corticotherapy. Seven months after the bone marrow transplant, graft versus host disease (GVHD) was stabilized, but corticotherapy had inhibited growth. There was evidence of normalizing bone, his hearing was better but he had not recovered vision. Dental findings before the bone marrow transplant revealed some missing teeth, failure of teeth to erupt and decayed teeth but no enamel hypoplasia. The patient had developed one carious lesion on one unerupted tooth: bacteria seem to have found a way through the gubernaculum dentale. The scanning electronmicrographs showed decayed tooth and tissues fitted into each other. Since the bone marrow transplant, no tooth has erupted. We think that, in this case, failure of tooth eruption would be the sign of osteopetrosis.