congenitally missing teeth (hypodontia): a review of the literature concerning the etiology, prevalence, risk factors, patterns and treatment

congenitally missing teeth (cmt), or as usually called hypodontia, is a highly prevalent and costly dental anomaly. besides an unfavorable appearance, patients with missing teeth may suffer from malocclusion, periodontal damage, insuf fi cient alveolar bone growth, reduced chewing ability, inarticulate pronunciation     fi elds such as orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, prosthodontics, periodontics, maxillofacial surgery, anatomy,     fi ndings on the etiology, prevalence,risk factors, occurrence patterns, skeletal changes and treatments of congenitally missing teeth. it seemsthat cmt usually appears in females and in the permanent dentition. it is not conclusive whether it     key words: complications, etiology, hypodontia, prevalence, risk factors, tooth abnormalities,treatment     tends to occur more in the maxilla or mandible and also in the anterior versus posterior segments. it can accompany various complications and should be attended by expert teams as soon as possible. anthropology and even the insurance industry. this essay reviews the and other problems. treatment might be usually expensive and multidisciplinary. this highly frequent and yet expensive anomaly is of interest to numerous clinical, basic science and public health