Unilateral maxillary distomolar: A case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Supernumerary teeth are defined as those in addition to the normal series of deciduous or permanent dentition. Supernumerary teeth is more prevalent among males and in the permanent dentition. The exact etiology of supernumerary teeth is unknown, they may occur anywhere in the oral cavity. They may appear as a single tooth or multiple teeth, unilaterally or bilaterally, erupted or impacted, maxilla or both jaws, it may be syndrome associated or it may not, The most common supernumerary teeth is mesiodense, Supernumerary teeth may be classified according to chronology, location (topography), morphology and orientation. A 37year old otherwise healthy woman patient was referred to the department of Oral Medicine of shorish dental teaching hospital, Sulaimani, for routine general dental check up, intraoral examination showed calculus on the lingual surface of the lower anterior teeth, the patient was sent for pantomography, pantomography revealed unilaterally impacted maxillary distomolar by chance, distomolar displayed normal tooth morphology with no any associated pathology. supernumerary impacted fourth molar is a rare phenomenon; the exact etiology is unknown, some of them produce complications, mostly they are chance radiographic finding, the treatment is controversial, and the decision to remove these supernumerary teeth should be based on a risk/benefit analysis similar to that of third molars.