Introduction:

Patients with cleft lip and palate usually have dental abnormalities, particularly supernumerary tooth anomalies. The diagnosis and treatment are important, since it helps to minimise functional and aesthetic problems.

Objective:

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of supernumerary teeth by radiographic analysis in patients with cleft lip and palate, who were treated in the Hospital Nacional de Niños, Costa Rica, during the period August 2009-July 2010.

Methodology:

The study was based on choosing a record of every 4 patients of the outpatient department, in order to review and analyse the orthopantomography. The statistical techniques used were frequency distributions, cross variables, and comparison of means based on the analysis of variance. The minimum level of confidence for comparisons was 95%.

Results:

The total sample comprised 180 records with a confidence of 95% and a maximum permissible error of 5%. Almost one-third (32%) of the population had supernumerary teeth, particularly the group of patients with cleft lip, alveolar and palate. Supernumerary teeth were 100% located on the maxillary arch, and mainly within the area of the alveolar cleft (77%), specifically in the region of the canine (51%).

Conclusion:

The supernumerary tooth is an anomaly that occurs with cleft lip and palate, so a good clinical and radiographic diagnosis is important to determine its presence, and thus to choose the most appropriate treatment option according to the needs of the case.

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