In a world where science dares us to always be sure of ourselves, to find a concrete explanation for everything, nature pops up once in a while to remind us all just how dicey things can be. Dentists at a hospital in Chennai, India, witnessed mother nature first hand at her weirdest. The dentists were shocked to find 526 teeth growing in the mouth of a seven-year-old boy named P. Ravindran. The boy had complained of toothaches occasionally.
To have the swelling in his lower right jaw checked out P. Ravindran was taken to Saveetha Dental College and Hospital in Chennai. An X-Ray and CT-Scan were done and it was found that the abscess-like swelling was a sack full of what looked like hundreds of teeth of various sizes.
According to Oddity Central, known as compound composite odontoma, the growth is a benign tumour composed of dental tissue. What was different about P. Ravindran's case was that it was large and made up of 526 teeth.
Pratibha Ramani, a professor and Head of Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, said: “We have never seen these many teeth in any one site. The teeth were in different sizes that varied between 0.1 mm to 15 mm. They looked like pearls in an oyster. Even the smallest piece had a crown, root and an enamel coating like a real tooth.”
Doctors Find 526 Teeth In The Mouth Of 7-Year-Old Boy.
What is the cause of this?
“Though the cause of the condition is not known, genetics could be one of the reasons,” Ramani stated. “The environment could also play an important role. We have taken up a study to see if radiation from mobile phone towers is a factor in such conditions.”
The Times of India cites an interesting study that looked at 250 people living near mobile towers and found that at least 10 per cent of them had micronuclei changes in their cells. This can cause controlled or uncontrolled multiplication of cells and diseases. But Ramani posited that a more comprehensive study may be needed to confirm the link between nuclei changes and mobile towers.
How did the dentists handle it?
After finding that the odontoma prevented permanent molar teeth growth in the boy, the dentists concluded that the solution was to remove the growth through surgery.
The boy's parents accented but it took hours to finally convince little Ravindran. The surgery lasted for an hour and a half, without the boy requiring his jaw to be reconstructed. 526 teeth were extracted from the sac-like tumour.
Ravindran probably got his surgery timely because his parents were quick to go to the hospital. Unfortunately, the tradition of self-medication is prevalent in Nigeria. If your child complains of a particular symptom more than once, then it is time to see a doctor.
Read also: The Correct Guide To Brushing Your Teeth The Right Way
