A clinical epidemiologic analysis of a sample of 73 supernumerary premolars

BackgroundThe authors conducted a retrospective study to determine the prevalence of supernumerary premolars in sample of patients from Madrid, as well as the possible complications associated with the presence of such supernumerary premolars.MethodsThe study included a data assessment of all patients seeking dental care at a hospital&;apos;s department of oral surgery across four years. The authors studied data from patients who had supernumerary premolars.ResultsThe authors identified supernumerary premolars in the records of 43 patients (0.32 percent) of the total population studied. These patients had 73 hyperdontic premolars (65 mandibular premolars [89 percent] and eight maxillary premolars [11 percent]).ConclusionsSupernumerary premolars usually are diagnosed as a coincidental radiographic finding without an associated pathology. However, the authors found a higher percentage of comorbidity than they initially expected.Clinical ImplicationsMechanical or obstructive pathology was associated with 2.7 percent of the premolars, and enlargement of the follicular sac of more than 3 millimeters was present in 26.0 percent of the sample.