The defect in type III collagen in some patients with early periodontitis and the considerable overlap of the clinical manifestations of EDS types IV and VIII point out the need for further studies of collagen formation and maturation in any patient who has early periodontitis and who has been classified with EDS type IV or VIII.
The periodontitis type of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS type VIII) is distinguished from other subtypes of EDS by severe periodontitis leading to premature loss of permanent teeth.
Clinical studies were sufficient initially to distinguish five types of EDS; biochemical studies identified four additional types, EDS type VI, EDS type VII, EDS type IX, and EDS type X, whereas clinical criteria distinguished EDS type VIII.