Radiographic examination of mesiodens and their associated complications.
OBJECTIVE
To examine mesiodens with regard to their status, their influence on adjacent teeth and their alteration during the follow-up period.


METHODS
From retrospective reviews of all patients who visited our institution from 1990-2001, we identified 200 patients (256 mesiodentes) who were shown to have mesiodentes on the basis of a periapical radiograph, a panoramic radiograph or an axial radiograph.


RESULTS
The number of supernumerary teeth was one in 146 cases (73%), two in 52 cases (26%) and three in 2 cases (1%). Of 256 mesiodentes, the direction of the crown of the mesiodens was inverted in 172 (67%), in a normal direction in 69 (27%) and in a horizontal direction with regard to the tooth axis in 15 (6%). Of the 147 mesiodentes for which axial radiography was performed, 131 (89%) were located at a palatal site against the dental arch, 16 (11%) overlapped the dental arch and none were at a labial site. Of our 200 cases, a delay of eruption of the permanent central incisor was seen in 12 (6%), malposition or rotation of the central incisor in 5 (2.5%) and dentigerous cyst formation arising from mesiodens in 22 (11%). Marked movement of the mesiodens was seen in 10 cases during the follow-up period of 5-7 years. Some complication arising from mesiodens was seen in 19.5% of all cases in our research.


CONCLUSIONS
Although mesiodentes are not caused by malocclusion, they may cause it. A long period of impaction of mesiodentes may bring about dentigerous cyst formation or movement of the mesiodentes.
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Field of Tumor Biology, Graduate School of Medicine and Dentistry, Okayama University, Japan. asaumi@md.okayama-u.ac.jp
J I
JI
Asaumi
Y
Y
Shibata
Y
Y
Yanagi
M
M
Hisatomi
H
H
Matsuzaki
H
H
Konouchi
K
K
Kishi
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003803:Dentigerous Cyst / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000002:abnormalities*; D008297:Male; D008437:Maxilla; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014096:Tooth, Supernumerary / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D014097:Tooth, Unerupted / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology