ABSTRACT
Dens in dente, also known as dens invaginatus and dilated compound odontoma, is a malformation that can occuron primary, permanent, or supernumerary teeth that is characterized by a deep invagination of the surface of acrown or root covered with enamel. This abnormality in tooth morphology generally affect the maxillary lateralincisors but several cases of multiple dens invaginatus have been reported in the literature. A 15 year-old femalepatient is reported here presenting five dens invaginatus: four in the permanent mandibular incisors and one in thepermanent, maxillary left central incisor, additionally the following dental findings were observed: a permanentmandibular left mulberry molar, molarization of some premolars, several microdontic conoid teeth, retention offive primary teeth, absence of several permanent teeth germs, a macrodontic molar with abnormal roots and severalperiapical radiolucencies associated to the dens invaginatus. There was no family history of similar dental findingsto those observed in the patient. There are several genes that participate in the development of teeth, of those, thefollowing five genes could be implicated as responsible or co-participators for some of the dental anomalies presentin this patient: MSX1 (Muscle segment homeobox 1), DLX1 & DLX2 (Distal-less homeobox 1 & 2 genes),PAX9 (Paired box gene) and PITX2 (Pituitary homeobox transciption factor 2) (AU)
Subject(s)
Humans , Female , Adolescent , Dens in Dente/geneticsABSTRACT
Dens in dente, also known as dens invaginatus and dilated compound odontoma, is a malformation that can occur on primary, permanent, or supernumerary teeth that is characterized by a deep invagination of the surface of a crown or root covered with enamel. This abnormality in tooth morphology generally affect the maxillary lateral incisors but several cases of multiple dens invaginatus have been reported in the literature. A 15 year-old female patient is reported here presenting five dens invaginatus: four in the permanent mandibular incisors and one in the permanent, maxillary left central incisor, additionally the following dental findings were observed: a permanent mandibular left mulberry molar, molarization of some premolars, several microdontic conoid teeth, retention of five primary teeth, absence of several permanent teeth germs, a macrodontic molar with abnormal roots and several periapical radiolucencies associated to the dens invaginatus. There was no family history of similar dental findings to those observed in the patient. There are several genes that participate in the development of teeth, of those, the following five genes could be implicated as responsible or co-participators for some of the dental anomalies present in this patient: MSX1 (Muscle segment homeobox 1), DLX1 & DLX2 (Distal-less homeobox 1 & 2 genes), PAX9 (Paired box gene) and PITX2 (Pituitary homeobox transciption factor 2).
