Supernumerary teeth amongst Iranian orthodontic patients. A retrospective radiographic and clinical survey

Objective. To investigate the prevalence, characteristics (malocclusion, location, type) and gender distribution of supernumerary teeth (ST) in an Iranian orthodontic population. Material and methods . A retrospective study was carried out using radiographs (periapicals, panoramic) and study models of 1751 subjects (870 girls, 881 boys; age range 9-27 years). The Pearson chi-square test was used to determine differences in the distribution of ST when stratified by gender and malocclusion type. Results . Fourteen ST were found in 13 patients (six males, seven females), giving a prevalence rate of 0.74%. The prevalence rate of ST was higher in Class III malocclusions (5.2%) and was a rare finding among Class II malocclusions (0.1%). The occurrence rate of ST was higher in maxilla (78.5%) than in mandible (21.5%). The most common type of ST was the conical form (43%). We did not observe any late-developing paramolar or distomolar ST. Conclusion . The prevalence rate of ST in our study was 0.74% and ST were more common among Class III malocclusions.