Abstract
The aim of the present study was to investigate the tendency of supernumerary teeth in patients examined at a university hospital pediatric dentistry clinic so as to develop treatment guidelines from the perspective of a higher order medical institution. We conducted a survey of 620 children (787 teeth) under 15 years old who were diagnosed with supernumerary teeth at our hospital over a 7-year period from December 2010. The following findings were obtained.
1.The ratio of males to females was approximately 3 : 1.
2.Supernumerary teeth most often occurred as maxillary incisors. As for the direction of tooth eruption, 50.1% of supernumerary teeth were normally directed, 40.2% were inverted, and 9.7% were horizontal. Impacted teeth occurred at a rate of 70.4% and erupted teeth at 29.6%.
3.During the study period, 84.8% of the patients were referred from another dental clinic.
4.The mean age at diagnosis was 7.1 years.
5.More than half (54.0%) of the patients were examined using a combination of intraoral radiography and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).
6.The mean age at tooth extraction was 7.6 years (n＝500, 620 teeth).
7.For the extraction procedure, 44.6% were performed under normal dental examination conditions (mean age, 7.8 years), while 44.0% were extracted under general anesthesia (mean age, 7.4 years).
8.Following extraction, 60.0% of the patient were followed at the referring dental clinic, most of which were general dental clinics (n＝243).
The present results suggest that supernumerary teeth cases are commonly referred to a university hospital because of the diverse conditions and requirement of specialized care. Timing of extraction and associated dental treatment were decided after analysis of the conditions of the supernumerary and neighboring permanent teeth noted in radiographic examinations such as CBCT, as well as in consideration of mental and physical stress potentially encountered by the patient during extraction. In addition when considering the influence on permanent teeth, we strongly encourage regular follow-up and management after extraction of supernumerary teeth to consider their effects on permanent dentition.
