Papillon-Lefevre syndrome

Papillon-Lefevre syndrome (PLS) is a very rare syndrome of autosomal recessive inheritance characterized by palmar-plantar hyperkeratosis and early onset of a severe destructive periodontitis, leading to premature loss of both primary and permanent dentitions. The palmar-plantar keratoderma typically has its onset between the ages of 1 and 4 years and severe periodontitis starts at the age of 3 or 4 years. The exact pathogenesis of these clinical events remains mainly speculative. An early diagnosis of the syndrome can help preserve the teeth by early institution of treatment, using a multidisciplinary approach. This paper describes a case of PLS with classic clinical features and briefly reviews the relevant literature.