A clinical epidemiologic analysis of a sample of 73 supernumerary premolars

Abstract

Background: The authors conducted a retrospective study to determine the prevalence of supernumerary premolars in sample of patients from Madrid, as well as the possible complications associated with the presence of such supernumerary premolars.

Methods: The study included a data assessment of all patients seeking dental care at a hospital's department of oral surgery across four years. The authors studied data from patients who had supernumerary premolars.

Results: The authors identified supernumerary premolars in the records of 43 patients (0.32 percent) of the total population studied. These patients had 73 hyperdontic premolars (65 mandibular premolars [89 percent] and eight maxillary premolars [11 percent]).

Conclusions: Supernumerary premolars usually are diagnosed as a coincidental radiographic finding without an associated pathology. However, the authors found a higher percentage of comorbidity than they initially expected.

Clinical implications: Mechanical or obstructive pathology was associated with 2.7 percent of the premolars, and enlargement of the follicular sac of more than 3 millimeters was present in 26.0 percent of the sample.