English (United Kingdom)

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/featured_content/oa?rat=en

https://curated-unify.zendy.io/wp-json/zendy-region/v1/highlighted_journal/

Global: Zendy Plus annual

Presents the access of premium content as premium feature

Premium Content

Presents the keyphrase highlighting as premium feature

Keyphrase Highlighting

Presents the summarisation as premium feature

Summarisation

Insights

Presents the pdf analysis as premium feature

PDF Analysis

Presents the zaia usage as premium feature

ZAIA

Global: Zendy Plus monthly

Global: Zendy Tools annual

Global: Zendy Tools monthly

Global: Zendy Free Plan

Congenital syphilis is a disease recognized for interfering with odontogenesis, producing specific dental characteristics including Hutchinson’s incisor, Moon’s molar, Fournier’s molar and mulberry molar, while its past treatments including mercury are known to affect amelogenesis. Supernumerary teeth, mainly associated with syndromes, are not commonly found in cases of congenital syphilis. A rare case of congenital syphilis in an individual (P000707) treated with mercury and a mandibular left fourth molar with normal morphology is presented. Materials and Methods: During a systematic examination of 28 skeletons with treponemal disease at the Smithsonian museum in Washington, DC, a supernumerary mandibular distomolar in one individual (P000707) was revealed. Results: P000707 was an African American female, 26 years of age. Dentition showed severe enamel hypoplasia of the maxillary and mandibular incisors, left canine, and upper first molars, consistent with the effects of treatment of congenital syphilis by mercurial compounds. Crown of the left mandibular distomolar has typical molar morphology but is smaller in size than other permanent molars. Arrangement of grooves resembles the +4 pattern, but is complex due to crenulation. Oblique x-ray revealed that the fourth molar had one root with a pulp chamber extending towards the apex, suggesting taurodontism. No other distomolar teeth were present. Conclusions: Congenital syphilis and treatment containing mercury may not influence the development of supernumerary teeth due to: (1) the age at which the development of the fourth molar takes place, (2) the stage of the infection at the time of development and (3) the age at which treatments containing mercury are administered to patients with congenital syphilis. A Rare Case of Congenital Syphilis and a Supernumerary Fourth Molar in an Early 20th Century African American Woman Stella Ioannou* and Maciej Henneberg a Biological Anthropology and Comparative Anatomy Research Unit, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, 5005 b Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland, 8006 Congenital syphilis is a disease caused by the transmission of Treponema pallidum, from the mother to the fetus during pregnancy or at birth. In the neonate, various systems are affected. Pathological signs appear in two stages of the disease. During the early stage, skeletal manifestations include periosteal reactions, osteochondritis, and osteomyelitis (Hira et al., 1985; McLean, 1931) while during the late stage, signs can include frontal bossing, short maxilla, high palatal arch, saddle nose, Higoumenakis’s sign, diaphysitis, metaphysitis and sabre shins (Fiumara and Lessell, 1970; Rasool and Giovender, 1989). However, the disease is most recognized for interfering with tooth formation (odontogenesis), producing certain characteristic teeth including Hutchinson’s incisors, Moon’s molar, Fournier’s molar and the mulberry molar (Fournier, 1886; Hutchinson, 1863; Karnosh, 1926; Moon, 1884). Even though these characteristic dental signs in congenital syphilis are seen in the permanent teeth (upper central incisors and first molars), which erupt approximately at 6-8 years of age, the dental abnormalities in these teeth are produced during the early stages of the disease, that is, once the infection and fever set in around the time of birth affecting initial crown formation. However, these dental abnormalities do not occur in all cases of congenital syphilis. The incidence of Hutchinson’s incisors ranges from 30 to 50% (Putkonen and Paatero, 1961), while changes in first permanent molars range between 3 and 37% (Berfield, 1971). In the past, mercury was used to treat congenital syphilis due to its antibacterial effects (Hutchinson, 1874, 1878; Warner, 1881). Even though mercury was seen to benefit infected individuals, it was also seen to produce dental abnormalities that were different from *Correspondence to: Stella Ioannou The University of Adelaide, School of Medicine Adelaide 5005, South Australia, Australia email: stelzy_25@hotmail.com