Talon cusp: a review with three cases from native North America

Supernumerary lingual tubercles ("talon cusps") in three North American Indians are reported. These cusp-like structures typically occur unilaterally on permanent maxillary lateral incisors. We speculate that sporadic occurrences of this type probably are induced by trauma or other localized insults affecting the tooth germ. Multiple occurrences in an individual may have a separate etiology, the most severely affected cases being associated with craniofacial syndromes.