Patterns of Congenital Tooth Agenesis and Crown Width in Patients with Alveolar Clefts in Guizhou, China: A Retrospective Study.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalent pattern of congenital tooth agenesis and the development of crown width in patients with alveolar clefts in Guizhou, China.

Methods: The imaging data and complete medical record information of 222 patients who met the criteria were studied. The rate of tooth agenesis, tooth agenesis patterns, type of cleft, gender, and crown width in patients with alveolar cleft were counted.

Results: Twenty-two congenital tooth agenesis patterns were statistically identified in patients with alveolar clefts by the tooth agenesis code method. The rate of congenital tooth agenesis in patients with alveolar cleft was 72.5%, and the most common missing teeth were lateral incisors. The rate of tooth agenesis was higher in bilateral alveolar cleft (87.1%) than in unilateral alveolar cleft (67.4%). No correlation was found between gender and tooth agenesis patterns, tooth agenesis rate, or number of missing teeth. Crown width in patients with alveolar clefts is less than normal. No correlation was found between the number of missing teeth and crown width.

Conclusions: The congenital tooth agenesis patterns and tooth agenesis rates in patients with alveolar clefts in Guizhou, China, were related to the type of cleft, independent of gender. The crown widths in patients with alveolar clefts were smaller than normal, irrespective of the number of tooth agenesis.