Retrospective Study of Clinical Characteristics and Treatments in Natal and Neonatal Teeth

Natal teeth that are already present at birth and neonatal teeth that erupt shortly after birth may cause various complications. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the characteristics of natal/neonatal teeth in Korean infants who visited to Kyung Hee University Dental Hospital from 2006 to 2015. A retrospective review of clinical data, including the sex of the patients, chief complaints of the mothers, clinical appearances and locations of the natal/neonatal teeth, and associated complications and treatments, was collected. Overall, a total of 75 teeth were found in 48 patients and 69% of the infants had natal teeth, while 31% had neonatal teeth, all of which were mandibular incisors. Females showed more natal/neonatal teeth than males. Major reasons for visiting the dental clinic were parental anxiety, referrals from other clinics, Riga-Fede disease, and pain during breastfeeding. Extraction was the most common treatment choice; observation and grinding were also used.