Dens in dente (dens invaginatus). Report of two unilateral and one bilateral case.

Departments of Oral Medicine & Radiology, Conservative Dentistry, Oral Pathology, Meenakshi Amma Dental College, Chennai, India.

Dens invaginatus is a deep surface invagination of the crown or root that is lined by enamel. It is one of the developmental anomalies affecting the teeth. It commonly affects maxillary lateral incisor, followed by central incisor, premolar, canine and molar tooth. Maxillary teeth are more commonly involved than mandibular teeth. It usually occurs unilaterally although 43% occur bilaterally. The invagination within the tooth can be single, double and even triple has been reported. The affected tooth usually is thick, barrel shaped with a small round palatal opening to the invagination. It usually traps plaque, food debris and is prone for dental caries, which may lead to pulpal and periapical pathology. So if detected early the dens invaginatus should be prophylatically restored. Two unilateral and one bilateral case of dens invaginatus are reported here.

PMID: 14705458 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]