Evaluation of cone-beam CT in diagnosis of supernumerary teeth in the anterior maxilla / 华西口腔医学杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the value of cone-beam CT (CBCT) in the diagnosis and orientation of supernumerary teeth in the anterior maxilla.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>195 supernumerary teeth in the anterior maxilla of 146 patients were included, which were examined by CBCT. The number, shape, size, 3-dimensional position, growth direction of the supernumeraries and their relationship with the neighboring teeth were analyzed.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The 146 patients aged from 5 to 39, and males were affected more than females in a ratio of 2.951. 102 (69.9%) patients had single supernumerary teeth. Of the 195 supernumerary teeth, 126 (64.6%) were near the middle line, 131 (67.2%) were conical, 51 (26.2%) were curved root, 98 (50.3%) were inverted and had a length of (11.97 +/- 2.40) mm. The supernumerary teeth often caused complications.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>The position of the supernumerary teeth is varied in the maxilla, and often causes permanent dentition complications. CBCT imaging yields accurate 3-dimensional pictures of supernumerary teeth, local dental and bony structures, which is helpful for diagnosis and orientation of supernumerary teeth.</p>