A sixteen year sample of surgically treated supernumerary teeth

Introduction Supernumerary teeth represent a numerical dental anomaly in which more teeth than the norm are present in the dentition. A sixteen year sample of supernumerary teeth has been reviewed in order to analyse epidemiological data, morphological and topographic features of these teeth, especially of those located in the praemaxillary region. Materials and methods All cases in which supernumerary teeth were surgically treated from 1991 to 2006 at the Oral Surgery Unito of the "Sapienza" University of Rome have been reviewed. Results 118 Caucasian subjects with supernumerary teeth have been reviewed in the range of age comprised between 5 and 42 years: 191 SNTs were collected, 136 from the upper jaw and 55 from the mandible. In the maxilla the incisor region was more frequently involved (67.65%), while in the mandible the one most frequently involved was the premolar region (69.1%). Conoid was the most frequent type of supernumerary teeth. Uneruption of the contiguous permanent teeth was the most commonly associated pathological condition, found in 81 out of the 191 cases of supernumerary teeth (40 patients, 42.4%). Tuberculated, infundibuliform and incisiform-shaped teeth caused uneruption of permanent teeth more frequently than the other morphological types of supernumerary teeth. Conclusion In the upper incisor area, the extraction of SNT is mandatory as early as they are diagnosed, especially if they are tuberculated, infundibuliform and incisiform-shaped, if they are located palatally or just in the middle of the ridge and when more than one SNT is present.