American Board of Dental Examiners (ADEX) Dental Hygiene Licensing Examination 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Cretinism is a condition that arises from untreated congenital hypothyroidism, a deficiency in thyroid hormones during early development. One of the hallmark features of this condition is indeed severe intellectual disability, often referred to as mental retardation. Additionally, individuals with cretinism can present with various physical anomalies, one being an enlarged tongue, which is a result of the lack of thyroid hormones that are critical for normal growth and development.

The other conditions listed do not specifically match the description of having both severe intellectual disability and a large tongue in children. Myxedema, for example, is associated with severe hypothyroidism in adults and does not typically present with the same symptoms in children. Graves disease and Hashimoto's disease pertain to hyperthyroidism and autoimmune hypothyroidism, respectively, and are not characterized by the symptoms mentioned in the question. Therefore, cretinism is the appropriate choice when considering the specific clinical features outlined.