Distomolars – Exploring the Rare Clinical Entity in a Northern Nigerian Population

Background: Distomolars are supernumerary teeth erupting distal to the maxillary or mandibular third molars. This present study explored the clinical significance of distomolars in a Nigerian population. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence, clinical significance, and pathologies associated with distomolars in a population of Northern Nigerian adults using dental pantomograms. Materials and Methods: This retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Oral Diagnostic Sciences, Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano State, Nigeria, and it included the extraction of images from the central computer attached to the Planmeca Promax machine. The sampling frame included patients who had dental pantomograms during the two-year period under review. The images were viewed on Planmeca Romexis 4.3.0 R software to identify relevant study variables. Results: Of 4,932 pantomograms reviewed, 107 distomolars were identified. The prevalence of distomolars was 2.17%. The mean age of subjects with a distomolars was 36.25 years, with a male-to-female ratio of 1:1.6. Majority of the distomolars were identified in the maxilla (60.75%) and had typical forms (67.3%) and 72.9% of them were seen unerupted. Conclusion: Distomolars occurred more frequently in females in the Nigerian population, commoner in the maxilla, and were predominantly unerupted and smaller in size than the normal adjacent teeth.