From Volume 14, Issue 3, July 2021 | Pages 125-133
Supernumerary teeth occur in approximately 1–2% of the population. Multiple supernumerary teeth are less common and usually associated with certain medical conditions. Most supernumeraries develop at a similar time to the normal series; however, this article describes the presentation and management of three patients who developed multiple supernumerary teeth during active orthodontic treatment in the permanent dentition.
Supernumeraries are tooth-like structures that form in addition to the normal series of teeth. Their incidence has been reported at 0.8% in the primary dentition rising to 1–2% in the permanent dentition.1,2 In a Swedish population, research has shown that supernumeraries in the permanent dentition are twice as common in males compared to females; however, no sexual dimorphism has been found in the primary dentition.3
Supernumerary teeth can be classified by location4 or morphology.5 A supernumerary occurring in the midline is known as a mesiodens, one in the premolar region a para-premolar, while those occurring in the molar region and distal to the third molar, a paramolar and distomolar, respectively. However, classification according to morphology (Table 1) is more useful because it helps in understanding the likely behaviour.
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