Early Eruption of Permanent Teeth in a nine year old Nigerian Child. A Case Report

Abstract

Variation in the normal eruption of teeth is a common finding, but significant deviation from established norms should alert the clinician to take some diagnostic procedures in order to evaluate patient’s health and development. Disturbance in tooth eruption time could be a symptom of general condition or indication of altered physiology and craniofacial development. Several studies have shown variations in the timing and sequence of the emergence of permanent teeth among different population groups. Variations in the pattern of tooth emergence has been variously associated with age, gender, genetics, classes, although socioeconomic effects were more mixed for premolars and molars. Compared to their counterparts in the USA, Australia, Belgium, and Iran, Nigerian children from previous study showed an earlier mean age of emergence of all the permanent teeth studied. This article reports the eruption of all permanent teeth except the second and third molars in a 9 year old child who presented at our Orthodontic clinic. Patient is female and has a twin brother, and they are not identical. The eruption pattern in the twin brother is different from hers.