Natal and Neonatal Teeth: A Review of the Literature

Normal eruption of primary teeth into the oral cavity begins at about 6 months of child’s age. Teeth that erupt prematurely have occasionally been reported in the medical and dental literature and have been referred to as congenital teeth, foetal teeth, pre-deciduous teeth and dentitio praecox. The most affected teeth are lower central incisors and only 1-10% of them are supernumerary teeth. The incidence of natal and neonatal teeth ranges from 1:2000 to 1:3500. The exact etiology has not been proved yet, but there is a correlation between natal teeth and hereditary, environmental factors and some syndromes. The management of the case depends on clinical characteristics of the natal or neonatal teeth, as well as on complications they might cause. The aim of this text is to present a literature review on important aspects of natal and neonatal teeth concerning prevalence, etiology, clinical and histological characteristics, differential diagnosis, complications and management.