Prevalence of fused and geminated teeth in Jordanian adults

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to address the prevalence of dental fusion and gemination in a sample of Jordanian dental patients. Frequency distributions of these conditions among different types of teeth are also presented. Method and materials: The data were collected from examination of radiographs from a random sample of periapical films. In all, 9,373 teeth from 1,660 dental records at the Faculty of Dentistry, Irbid, Jordan, were evaluated. A tooth was recorded having gemination if its crown was enlarged with a normal root and the tooth count was normal. A tooth was recorded fused if the tooth crown and root were enlarged and the tooth count revealed a missing tooth. Results: Fusion and gemination were detected in 18 and 21 teeth, respectively, with prevalence of 0.19% and 0.22%, respectively. Therefore, double teeth were found in 39 teeth with a prevalence of 0.42%. Maxillary central incisors were the most commonly affected (3.6%), followed by mandibular third molars (0.9%). Conclusion: Fusion and gemination are uncommon conditions, but they are important dental anomalies that could affect any tooth in the mouth. Recognizing the condition will facilitate the endodontic, prosthodontic, periodontic, orthodontic, and surgical clinical management of such teeth.