Search Results (5)

Tori are bony growths in the mouth caused by genetic and environmental factors. Oral tori may grow over time and interfere with oral hygiene, speech, mastication, and the application of dentures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and patterns of torus mandibularis and torus palatinus according to age and gender among people in Albania. A single-center pilot study was conducted at Diamond Dental Hospital (DDH) from 1 February to 30 April 2024 in Tirana, Albania. Written consent was obtained from each participant. The patients were interviewed by one trained researcher and examined intraorally by one experienced examiner. Photographs were taken of any positive findings. The prevalence of oral tori in this sample from Albania was very high at 48%, and the peak incidence was in the 18–29 age group (54%). The most common type was torus mandibularis, with a prevalence of 39%. The most prevalent form of torus palatinus was flat (71%) and of torus mandibularis was solitary bilateral (48%). This single-center pilot study found a high prevalence of oral tori among people in Tirana, Albania. Its prevalence was not related to gender or bruxism. Dental professionals should note the high occurrence of oral tori and their importance in dental practice. Full article

KCTD1 plays crucial roles in regulating both the SHH and WNT/β-catenin signaling pathways, which are essential for tooth development. The objective of this study was to investigate if genetic variants in KCTD1 might also be associated with isolated dental anomalies. We clinically and radiographically investigated 362 patients affected with isolated dental anomalies. Whole exome sequencing identified two unrelated families with rare (p.Arg241Gln) or novel (p.Pro243Ser) variants in KCTD1. The variants segregated with the dental anomalies in all nine patients from the two families. Clinical findings of the patients included taurodontism, unseparated roots, long roots, tooth agenesis, a supernumerary tooth, torus palatinus, and torus mandibularis. The role of Kctd1 in root development is supported by our immunohistochemical study showing high expression of Kctd1 in Hertwig epithelial root sheath. The KCTD1 variants in our patients are the first variants found to be located in the C-terminal domain, which might disrupt protein–protein interactions and/or SUMOylation and subsequently result in aberrant WNT-SHH-BMP signaling and isolated dental anomalies. Functional studies on the p.Arg241Gln variant are consistent with an impact on β-catenin levels and canonical WNT signaling. This is the first report of the association of KCTD1 variants and isolated dental anomalies. Full article

Background: Low density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 4 (LRP4; MIM 604270) modulates WNT/β-catenin signaling, through its binding of WNT ligands, and to co-receptors LRP5/6, and WNT inhibitors DKK1, SOSTDC1, and SOST. LRP4 binds to SOSTDC1 and WNT proteins establishing a negative feedback loop between Wnt/β-catenin, Bmp, and Shh signaling during the bud and cap stages of tooth development. Consistent with a critical role for this complex in developing teeth, mice lacking Lrp4 or Sostdc1 have multiple dental anomalies including supernumerary incisors and molars. However, there is limited evidence supporting variants in LRP4 in human dental pathologies. Methods: We clinically, radiographically, and molecularly investigated 94 Thai patients with mesiodens. Lrp4 mutant mice were generated in order to study the effects of aberrant Lrp4 expression in mice. Results: Whole exome and Sanger sequencing identified three extremely rare variants (c.4154A>G, p.Asn1385Ser; c.3940G>A, p.Gly1314Ser; and c.448G>A, p.Asp150Asn) in LRP4 in seven patients with mesiodens. Two patients had oral exostoses and two patients had root maldevelopments. Supernumerary incisors were observed in Lrp4 mutant mice. Conclusions: Our study implicates heterozygous genetic variants in LRP4 as contributing factors in the presentation of mesiodens, root maldevelopments, and oral exostoses, possibly as a result of altered WNT/β-catenin-BMP-SHH signaling. Full article

(1) Background: contact between indigenous and European populations has often resulted in changes in oral health attributed to the introduction of sucrose. Most studies are per tooth over considerable periods and with few ethnological references. (2) Aim: dental epidemiology of 96 autochthonous frozen bodies from Yakutia between the early 17th century and the late 19th century; comparisons with historical texts and ethnographic data. (3) Material and methods: we use descriptive statistics and discriminant factorial analyses to identify dominant variables in the dataset and compare periods and subjects, considering all variables. (4) Results: the peculiarities of the population are the rarity of cavities and the relative frequency of dental pathologies leading to death. Assimilation into the Russian Orthodox culture has led to decreased tooth wear and an increase in tooth loss. Dental health evolves only two centuries after the contact. (5) Conclusions: the confrontation with historical data suggests that changes are not related to the growing importance of sucrose but to a combined action: the substitution of dendrophagy by cereal flour; the decrease in immunity linked to the development of chronic infectious diseases; tobacco addiction and the mandibular torus: a risk factor promoting apical cysts. Full article

Objective: The aim of the study was to verify the influence of a genetic factor on the etiology of oral bony outgrowths and to determine the prevalence and type of oral bony outgrowths (tori and exostoses) among a group of Lithuanian twins.
Materials and methods: In total, 162 twins (81 twin pairs) were analyzed for the presence or absence, type, and size of oral bony outgrowths. Statistical analysis was carried out to find the prevalence of bony protuberances and the relationship between zygosity and occurrence of oral bony enlargements. Zygosity of twins was confirmed by DNA analysis.
Results: 59.9% of the subjects had oral bony outgrowths. Mandibular tori were found in 56.8% and palatal tori in 1.8% of the sample. Palatal exostoses and mandibular exostoses were present in 1.8% and 3.1% of the sample, respectively, whereas maxillary exostoses were not found. A higher percentage of tori and exostoses were found in the group of older subjects (>18 years old, p = 0.025). No significant difference was found between men and women in the prevalence of bony outgrowths. High κ and r values (0.91 ± 0.062) showed very good concor-dance of oral bony outgrowths between monozygotic and moderate concordance (0.58 ± 0.141) between dizygotic co-twins ( p < 0.001). The calculation of heritability estimate verifies domi-nant influence of genetic factor on the etiology of oral bony outgrowths (h² = 0.658).
Conclusion: The most common bony outgrowth was torus mandibularis. Our results show that the genetic factor is dominant in the etiology of oral bony outgrowths. Full article