Prevalence of taurodontism and its associated anomalies in dental patients in Kerman

Abstract

Background: Taurodontism is an anomaly that can cause problems in dental treatment. It is essential for clinicians to accurately determine the prevalence of this anomaly. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of taurodontism and its associated anomalies in patients visiting clinics in Kerman in 2019.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 424 digital panoramic radiographs of patients who visited private clinics in Kerman in 2019. The panoramic radiographs were evaluated for the presence of taurodont molars and possible related anomalies such as microdontia, severe hypodontia, as well as enamel and dentin hypoplasia. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 21 and chi-square test. The significance level was set at 0.05.Results: The findings of this study showed there were 82 taurodont teeth in 33 (7.78%) out of a total of 424 panoramicradiographs (6.6% in males and 9.0% in females with an age range of 18-52(. There was no significant relationship between sex and taurodontism (P=0.36). Of 82 taurodont molars, 34.1% were in the mandible and 65.9% in the maxilla. The most involved teeth were the mandibular second molars. There was no significant relationship between maxilla and mandible concerning the infected teeth (P=0.74). Taurodontism and hypodontia were observed simultaneously in only one man who had 4 taurodont teeth.Conclusion: The prevalence of taurodont molars in this study was 7.78% and it was more common in second molars and in the mandible. Moreover, hypotaurodontism was found as the most common type of anomaly.