Bilateral double primary molars: case report.

The finding of conjoined teeth has long been recognized: with widespread disagreement over the most appropriate descriptive term for this anomaly. Recently, Yuen et a12 contended that when the etiology was not established, the term “double tooth was more appropriate than terms such as fusion and gemination. The anomaly has been reported to occur more frequently in the primary than in the permanent dentition3 Additionally, the incidence in the primary dentition has been reported to differ among racial groups, with a range of 0.5 5.0%.4 The condition is seen predominantly in the incisor and canine regions and only rarely in the posterior dentition5 In a study of 376 children, Yuen et a12 did not report any cases involving the primary molars. However, Winter6 reported on double primary molars as part of otodental syndrome. In this syndrome involving sensorineural hearing loss, the term “globodontia” has been used to describe the characteristic morphology of the dentition. The incisors typically are not affected, while the crowns of all molars and canines are enlarged, bulbous, and malformed with prominent lobules, particularly in the primary dentition. Additionally, the relation between cusps and major grooves is eliminated.7 Bilateral double primary incisors havebeen noted in patients with noncontributory medical histcries? but the presence of bilateral double primary molars has been reported previously only in conjunction with otodental syndrome.