[Clinical studies on 16 cases of odontoma in children]

16 cases of odontoma (male: 12, female: 4) in young patients from 1 year 2 months to 14 years of age at the Pedodontic Clinic of Niigata University Dental Hospital in a recent 9 year period were investigated clinically. As for the pathologic histology, 12 cases were of the compound type, 2 were of the complex type, 1 was of the intermediate type between compound and complex, and 1 was of ameloblastic fibro-odontoma type. 9 cases occurred in the maxilla, 7 cases occurred in the mandible. Most of the compound type were observed in the area of the maxillary incisors and cuspids, and the complex type cases were noted in the anterior part of the maxilla. In many cases, there were clinical symptoms such as retarded eruption. Some cases of odontoma in children were small in scale and showed a low degree of calcification. Therefore they showed a tendency not to be found out at radiography, and it is difficult to diagnose them as odontoma. By finding odontoma prematurely and removing it in time, the retarded eruption teeth were able to erupt spontaneously or to be guided to a normal position.