Large Peruvian study adds data on impacted and extra teeth

A new cross-sectional study in the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dentistry examined 7,903 panoramic radiographs from two radiology centers in Peru to estimate how often impacted teeth and supernumerary teeth appear in young people ages 13 to 20. The study adds a large, recent dataset from 2020 to 2025 to a body of literature showing that these developmental dental anomalies are uncommon overall, but clinically important because they can alter eruption, crowding, and occlusion. Earlier Latin American radiographic research, including a 2,000-image study spanning Peru, Colombia, and Bolivia, similarly found relatively low prevalence, with impacted teeth and mesiodens among the more frequent findings. (researchgate.net)

Why it matters: While the paper is in human dentistry, the take-home point for veterinary teams is familiar: missing or delayed-erupting teeth shouldn't be assumed absent without imaging. Veterinary references and clinical guidance consistently note that radiography is needed to distinguish congenitally missing teeth from retained, impacted, or supernumerary teeth, and that extra or unerupted teeth can contribute to crowding, malocclusion, plaque retention, periodontal disease, or more serious pathology. In dogs, unerupted teeth are often found incidentally on routine dental radiographs, and some breeds appear at especially high risk for associated lesions such as dentigerous cysts. (academy.royalcanin.com)

What to watch: Watch for whether the Peruvian authors' full results spur more comparative work on age, sex, tooth location, and imaging-based screening strategies that could also inform earlier detection conversations in veterinary dentistry. (researchgate.net)