Report of two familial cases of agenesia of upper lateral incisors

Abstract

Agenesia is a dental anomaly characterized by the absence of one or more teeth, radiographi- cally proved. The total agenesia or absence of all deciduous or perma- nent teeth is extremely rare and most often related to the heredita- ry ectodermal dysplasia. Published reports show divergent results for the involvement frequency of dental elements; however there is a consensus on the reduction of terminal teeth of each series. In Brazil, the most often missed te- eth are upper lateral incisors and second premolars. Partial age- nesia is known to have a strong hereditary component, although it may be resultant from genetic mutations and natural filogenetic evolution of the dental arch. The purpose of this study is to relate two cases of upper lateral perma- nent incisors, congenitally missed, with uni and bilateral occurrence, with the presence of the deciduous tooth in one of the cases. This ar- ticle demonstrates the importance of early diagnosis of this anomaly, so that clinical measures may be taken for the patient’s benefit. Key words: agenesia, partial ano- dontia, hypodontia.