Regional odontodysplasia: report of a case

Regional odontodysplasia is an unusual nonhereditary dental anomaly of uncertain origin. It presents clinically as delayed or failed eruption, abscess formation, early exfoliation, and malformed teeth and radiographically as defective enamel and dentin formation, giving the teeth a fuzzy silhouette. Because teeth are essential for psychological and functional development of the child, appreciation and management of regional odontodysplasia is important for comprehensive dental care. The purpose of this paper was to present the case of a 12-year-old female who presented with an eruption disturbance affecting a single segment of her jaw and characteristic ghost teeth radiographic appearance. The approach toward management should be aimed at preserving the unerupted affected teeth for the development of the alveolar ridge, conserving the erupted teeth (if salvageable) or extraction followed by prosthetic rehabilitation.