Tooth Eruption and Dental Impactions

A broad range of variation exists in the normal eruption times of primary and permanent teeth in humans. However, normality is usually associated with bilateral symmetry. Furthermore, cases where eruption time is grossly beyond the extremes of normalcy may be considered to represent a pathological state [1]. Radiography plays an important part in determining the normality of tooth eruption with regard to position and time sequence. This is particularly important in patients whose teeth are undetectable by clinical means, such as those with delayed eruption or impaction. Impaction is the impeding of the eruption by tooth, bone, or pathosis, so the eruption of the tooth is rendered unlikely.