Abstract

Unerupted or erupted supernumerary tooth may cause crowding, diastema, cyst formation, resorption, and displacement or rotation of adjacent teeth. However, there are few studies about prognosis about the pathologic condition and expectation of spontaneous eruption. The object of this study is to evaluate factors predicting the spontaneous eruption of supernumerary tooth. 431 patients (346 males and 85 females, aged from 5 to 29 years) who visited our institution from 2002-2006 and were shown to have 471 mesiodentes was reviewed. Supernumerary teeth were classified inverted and not inverted state. In case of not inverted supernumerary tooth, eruption rate according to length of supernumenary tooth, width of the tooth, angle between the tooth and incisor tooth, location (inside the incisor or not) and shape (conical or tubercle) were investigated. The regression model showed that length, width and angle were all important determinants of influencing the eruption of supernumerary tooth (p < 0.001, Pearson R: 0.619). There is no relation between shape and eruption of supernumerary tooth (p > 0.05). Location of mesiodens has an effect on eruption of supernumerary tooth (p < 0.01).