A rare case of a supernumerary tooth (mesiodens) in an Iron Age (2470 ± 35 bp) skeleton from Koziegłowy (Poland)

Abstract

Although supernumerary teeth are well documented clinically, they are uncommon in contemporary and historical populations. The most common form of supernumerary tooth is the mesiodens. Despite radiological studies of historical dental materials, cases of mesiodens are rarely found. This paper presents the first case of a mesiodens in archeological material from Poland, belonging to an adult male from Koziegłowy (Poland). The remains were dated to about 2470 ± 35 BP, one of the oldest set of remains in Europe. The presence of a mesiodens was confirmed with computed tomography. The fully impacted mesiodens is located in the alveolar bone palatally and above the central incisors. Its longitudinal axis is almost parallel to the horizontal plane. A mesiodens may be associated with certain congenital disorders. However, our case appears to be idiopathic. The mesiodens had not caused any complications involving the central or lateral incisors, such as root resorption, eruption disorders, cyst, rotation or inclination of the incisors, except for a small midline diastema. The described case contributes to our knowledge of orthodontic anomalies in historical populations.