Dental anomalies in mental patients

Fifty-three patients were examined for dental abnormalities at an institution specializing in care of the mentally deficient in Bauru, São Paulo State. The incidence of teeth with abnormal morphology, mainly second molars with an abnormal number of cusps, was extremely high. Enamel hypoplasia was frequently found in anterior teeth, and the percentage of fractured maxillary incisors was significantly higher than that observed in normal individuals.