Mesiodens and paramolar supernumerary teeth: histological observations and a prevalence study in Egyptian children

ABSTRACT

Sixteen mesiodens and paramolar teeth were collected from 14 children after examining 1080 Egyptian children. The prevalence of these supernumeraries in Egyptian children was found to be 1.296%. Light microscopic examination of their hard tissues was carried out. Numerous structural abnormalities were observed including some variation in enamel thickness, multidirectional arrangement of enamel prism bundles at some sites, absence of amelodentinal junction and incremental lines of Retzuis at the incisal and the small cusp tip regions, interlacing of the inner ends of enamel prisms and the branching terminal ends of dentinal tubules at sites where A.D.J. is absent with numerous enamel spindles, observation of an outer surface layer of enamel having a honeycomb appearance on top of the longitudinally arranged enamel prisms in paramolar sections, numerous interglobular dentine spaces in the crown and sometimes in the root portions, sparce cellular cementum, presence of dark granules in acellular cementum in mesiodens, increased thickness of acellular cementum at the wide apical region of paramolar roots containing irregular large spaces, presence of hard structureless and clear network across paramolar pulp cavity, detection of an enamel-like mass containing longitudinally and transeversly sectioned enamel prisms and embedded in the crown dentine of some paramolar sections