[The clinico-radiological assessment of dental anomalies with real and apparent numerical defects]

Dental anomalies involving real shortfall in the number of teeth (agenesis) or apparent deficiency (impaction) have been studied in a population sample including 700 national servicemen aged between 19 and 26, in the period April-August 1989. The study was carried out by means of careful objective examination and the systematic performance of orthopantomography showed that 5.14% of the population examined is affected by dental agenesis. The tooth most often involved in agenesis is the lateral maxillary incisor followed by the third mandibular molar, the second mandibular premolar and the second maxillary premolar. As regards apparent agenesis, the upper and lower wisdom teeth were the most frequently involved in physiological or pathological bone impaction (this event occurs in almost 50% of third molars). The maxillary cuspid is also impacted with some frequency. The data obtained were compared with those in the world literature.