J Oral Maxillofac Surg 70:163-167, 2012 A 3-Year Follow-Up of the Rehabilitation of Papillon-Lefèvre Syndrome by Dental Implants Figen Cizmeci Senel, DDS, PhD,* Nuray Yilmaz Altintas, DDS,† Bora Bagis, DDS, PhD,‡ Mustafa Cankaya, DDS,§ A. Alper Pampu, DDS, PhD, Ipek Satıroglu, DDS,¶ and Ahmet Can Senel, MD# Purpose: Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by palmar-plantar hyperkeratosis, with rapidly progressive periodontitis and premature loss of both decid- uous and permanent teeth. This article presents the prosthetic rehabilitation of a patient with Papillon- Lefèvre syndrome with dental implants. Materials and Methods: Twelve titanium implants were installed in the mandible and maxilla in an 18-year-old male patient with Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome. Results: At 3 years follow-up, all implants were clinically stable and no pain or infection was found. The patient continues to be seen at regular follow-up visits. Conclusion: Twelve-implant installation in Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome with 3 years’ follow-up has not claimed before. We not only successfully treated our patient functionally and esthetically with dental implant rehabilitation, but also provided psychological benefits to the patient. © 2012 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons J Oral Maxillofac Surg 70:163-167, 2012 Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome was first described in 1924 by Papillon and Lefèvre as a rare autosomal recessive genetic disorder characterized by palmar-plantar hy- perkeratosis with rapidly progressive periodontitis and premature loss of both deciduous and permanent teeth. 1,2 The diffuse, red, scaly palms and soles characteriz- ing Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome appear from 2 to 4 years of age. 3 The development and eruption of the deciduous teeth proceed normally, but about at the time of appearance of the palmar and plantar lesions, the gingiva becomes red and inflamed and may be ulcerated and a form of rapid, severe periodonti- tis occurs. 3,4 The resulting periodontitis characteristi- cally is unresponsive to traditional periodontal treat- ment modalities, and the primary dentition is usually exfoliated prematurely by 4 years of age. 1 After exfo- liation of the primary dentition, the gingiva appears normal. However, after eruption of the permanent teeth, the same inflammatory process at the periodon- tal tissues is repeated. 1-3 As a result, alveolar bone is resorbed, tooth mobility occurs, and in general, all or most of the permanent dentition is lost prema- turely. 4,5 Previous treatment for Papillon-Lefèvre syndrome periodontitis amounted mainly to extraction of se- verely affected teeth at a young age to prevent peri- odontal breakdown of permanent teeth, with some authors suggesting the extraction of all affected pri- mary teeth. 6,7 Conventional periodontal treatment usually fails in patients with Papillon-Lefèvre syn- Received from Karadeniz Technical University, Trabzon, Turkey. *Associate Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sur- gery, Faculty of Dentistry. †Research Assistant, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sur- gery, Faculty of Dentistry. ‡Associate Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry. §Research Assistant, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sur- gery, Faculty of Dentistry. Associate Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sur- gery, Faculty of Dentistry. ¶Research Assistant, Department of Prosthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry. #Associate Professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, Faculty of Medicine. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Altintas: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Faculty of Dentistry, Karadeniz Technical University, 61080 Campus Trabzon, Turkey; e-mail: dtnurayilmaz@yahoo.com © 2012 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons 0278-2391/12/7001-0$36.00/0 doi:10.1016/j.joms.2011.03.058 163