Natal and neonatal teeth: a review

The presence of teeth in newborn is uncommon. Sometimes it occurs, appearing in about one in every 2,000 to 3,000 live births. Natal teeth are teeth already present at time of birth, neonatal teeth erupt during the first 30 days after birth. The normal eruption of the first teeth is quite exciting but their occurrence at birth or few days after birth is quite disturbing because of societal unpleasant reaction towards it in some communities and calls for concern. The majority of natal and neonatal teeth represent the early eruption of normal primary teeth. Less than 10% of natal teeth are supernumerary. Although the majority of natal teeth are isolated incidents, their presence may be associated with some syndromes. Complications include discomfort during suckling causing irritation and trauma to infants tongue, sublingual ulceration, laceration of the mother's breasts and aspiration of the teeth. The objective of the present study was to present a review of the literature on the current information on this topic and give treatment options if necessary.