A descriptive study of 113 unerupted supernumerary teeth in 79 pediatric patients in Barcelona

Unerupted supernumerary teeth, depending on the morphology, number and distribution can give rise to various alterations in the eruption and development of those permanent teeth to which they are related.

We aimed to make an epidemiological and descriptive study of the clinical characteristics of patients in Barcelona, their surgical treatment and how said treatment was hindered.

A descriptive study including 113 supernumerary teeth from 79 healthy pediatric patients between 5 and 19 years of age, which underwent surgery in our hospital during a 2 year period (May 2005 / May 2007), taking into account the variables of personal data, gender, age, location, number, morphology, position-axis, radiological study, surgical treatment, related pathologies, and surgical complications.

Male patients (51) were more frequently affected than female (28) patients mainly within the central incisors-mesiodens (53.16%), in which the unique form (68.52%) predominates in conoid morphology (69.62%). Surgical treatment was done by palatal/lingual extraction (49.37%), with few surgical complications (only 1 case of post-surgical bleeding).

Incidence in supernumerary teeth is higher among male patients (ratio M:F of 1.82:1). They are most frequently located in the maxilla (82%), specifically, in the premaxilla (77%). Most cases presented only one supernumerary tooth (68.5%) and, in multiple cases, the premolar region is predominant. The conoid shape is the commonest morphology (69.62%). Surgical extraction, was done by palatal/lingual in 49.37% of the cases, as opposed to the vestibular approach in 45.57%.