Tooth transposition: two case-reports and literature review

Abstract

Tooth transposition is a rare developmental disorder in which a normal tooth erupts in an inappropriate position. The change in position occurs between two adjacent teeth within the same quadrant. In this article, two cases of tooth transposition involving mandibular molars are described. Patient 1 presented with bilateral transposition between first and second mandibular molars. In addition, giroversion of the first molars was observed. Patient 2 presented with unilateral transposition between the mandibular left molars. Because this tooth disorder does not affect quality of life, both patients declined to seek dental treatment. Out of the 120 cases of tooth transposition found in the literature, 92,5% occurred in the maxilla and 15% were bilateral, 65,8% percent of these cases involved the canine and first premolar; 26.6% involved the canine and lateral incisor; 2,5% involved the canine and central incisor; and only 0.85% involved the first and second molar. The majority of tooth transposition cases occurred in women (66,6%). In literature, tooth transposition is a poorly-documented condition. Consequently, this report seeks to contribute to the existing information in the literature on this disorder.