Doctors extract 526 teeth from seven-year-old boy’s mouth

Chennai, Aug 01: When you visit the Dentist, all they say is to wash your teeth properly. But what if you can't reach out to 526 teeth? Yes you read it right.

Dentists in Chennai pulled out more than 500 teeth from the mouth of a seven-year-old boy. He didn't have all 526 teeth in his mouth. Instead, dentists found something else.

On July 11, when the seven-year-old boy P Ravindran, was taken to the Saveetha Dental College and Hospital in Chennai, who was complaining of a swollen growth on his lower jaw. The dentists who X-rayed Ravindran, found a 'bag-like' tumor containing 526 small teeth. It weighed about 200g.

Medical investigation revealed the presence of a large growth containing multiple hard structures within the jaw.

The boy was suffering from a rare case of 'Compound Composite Odontoma'.

According to the doctors, this is the first ever case documented in the world in which in an individual has been found to have so many minute teeth.

The boy's father, named only as Parbhu, said his son's jaw started to swell when he was three.

In yet another similar case from 2014, 232 teeth were removed from the mouth of a Mumbai teen.

What is Odontoma?

An odontoma, also known as an odontome, is a benign tumour linked to tooth development. Specifically, it is a dental hamartoma, meaning that it is composed of normal dental tissue that has grown in an irregular way. It includes both odontogenic hard and soft tissues.

The average age of people found with an odontoma is 14. The condition is frequently associated with one or more unerupted teeth and is often detected through failure of teeth to erupt at the expected time. Though most cases are found impacted within the jaw there are instances where odontomas have erupted into the oral cavity.

Treatment usually consists of surgically removing the growth if it may cause any issues.