The use of colored elastomeric "O"s as a motivational instrument for patients with anodontia: report of case.

Complete and/or removable partial dentures are the most commonly selected treatment for the prosthodontic management of young patients who present with oligodontia or anodontia such as in the case of patients with ectodermal dysplasia. Bakri, Belanger and Nowak have reported on the different ways that these prostheses can be modified to ease the child's burden of growing up with missing teeth and having to wear prostheses that make them different from their peers. Some of their suggestions include the placement of diastemas, the use of artificial "baby" teeth and their subsequent replacement with permanent teeth to simulate the primary and mixed dentition stages. They have also recommended deleting primary teeth to mimic the normal exfoliation pattern. The purpose of this article is to report the attitude change and improvement in self-esteem experienced by two young girls from the simple addition of colored elastomeric molded "O"s to the orthodontic appliances placed on their prostheses.