Unilateral Connation of Permanent Mandibular Incisors: A Case Report

Connated teeth are the consequences of developmental anomalies leading to the eruption of joined elements. Fusion and gemination are terms frequently used to describe the clinical presentation of connated teeth. The terms ‘double teeth’, ‘double formations’, ‘joined teeth’, ‘fused teeth’ or ‘dental twinning’ are often used to describe fusion or gemination, both of which are primary developmental abnormalities of the teeth. It is caused by the persistence of the dental lamina between two or more tooth germs, or by the attempt of a supernumerary tooth to develop from the remnants of the dental lamina after it has divided from a neighbouring tooth germ [1]. There are different clinical and radiographic appearances for connated teeth reliant on the developmental stages of the bud [2]. It is hypothesised that, forces or pressure can produce the contact between the teeth. Depending upon the stage of development, the union may be total or partial and may occur between a normal and a supernumerary tooth [3]. Genetic inheritance can be considered as a possible etiology [1]. The prevalence of connated teeth in the permanent dentition is approximately 0.2% [4], in the primary dentition it ranges from 0 4% [5] to 0.9% [6].