An overview of oral frena and their association with multiple syndromic and nonsyndromic conditions

The development of abnormal oral frena is an important diagnostic feature of several syndromic states. Five such syndromes are reviewed which include Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, infantile hypertrophic pyloric stenosis, holoprosencephaly, Ellis-van Creveld syndrome, and oral-facial-digital syndrome. Each syndrome exhibits relatively specific frena abnormalities, ranging from multiple, hyperplastic, hypoplastic, or absent.1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 In addition to abnormal oral frena observed in syndromic conditions, anomalous frena are encountered without other associated phenotypic features of genetic or chromosomal states.9 This paper is a review of the above stated frena deformities and their management.