Prevalence of taurodontism in the North Indian population

OBJECTIVES Taurodontism affects primarily molars and premolars in both the deciduous and permanent dentition. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of taurodontism in the North Indian population. STUDY DESIGN 4143 patients were studied by analyzing the panoramic radiographs for the presence of taurodontism which is defined as the presence of an apically displaced pulp chamber and the tooth lacks the usual constriction at the cementoenamel junction. The age of the patients ranged from 13 to 38 years with a mean age of 21.8 years. RESULTS Taurodontism was found in 17 patients with a prevalence of 0.4% of which 0.21% were males and 0.19% females. Taurodonts were significantly more common in the maxilla (65.6%) than in the mandible (34.4%) (p<0.05) and the maxillary second molar (34.4%) was the most commonly involved tooth. According to the morphology hypotaurodonts were most common (75%) but there was no significant difference in males and females (p>0.05). CONCLUSION Taurodontism is relatively uncommon in the North Indian population. Further large scale studies need to be carried out to assess its prevalence in the general population. A family history of other anomalies should also be considered for affected patients. Key words:Taurodontism, prevalence, maxillary second molar.