Supernumerary teeth are most frequently seen in the regions of upper anterior teeth. At the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery II, Okayama University Dental School, 213 supernumerary teeth in the regions of upper anterior teeth were seen in 163 patients younger than fifteen years old from April, 1982, to August, 1989. A clinical review was made, and the results were as followed:
1) The frequency of the supernumerary teeth in males was three times of that in females. In most cases, the presence of supernumerary teeth had been found in children from 6-8 years of age.
2) Frequently dental standard projection and vertex occlusal projection were taken, and otherwise orthopantomography, occlusal method and lateral projection were taken. In our department vertex occlusal projection were taken in order to confirm the region of unerupted supernumerary teeth.
3) In most cases, supernumerary teeth were unerupted. About 71% of the cases had one supernumerary tooth, and 28% of the cases had two supernumerary teeth. Moreover, with boys, two cases had three teeth.
4) As to the direction of dental crown and the region, the inverted teeth on palatal side were most frequently observed.
5) Unerupted supernumerary teeth were extracted most frequently between 7 years old and 9 years old. In the many cases, when those were extracted the root of the adjacent permanent teeth were not completly developed. Before extraction, the disturbance of the adjacent permanent teeth was found in 69 cases, of which obliquity and rotation were the most frequent two.
6) Mucoperiosteal flap was made on the side of the unerupted supernumerary teeth existed. However, in the cases which the unerupted supernumerary teeth existed in tooth alignment or both of labial and palatal side, mucoperiosteal flap was made variously.
