MillenniumPost
Big Story

526 teeth removed from 7-year-old boy's mouth

CHENNAI: The swollen right cheek of seven-year-old Ravindranath looked like symptoms of a decayed tooth to his parents. But tucked inside his right tiny lower jaw were 526 teeth that dentists had to remove surgically.

The abnormal teeth, embedded in the jaw bone, were not visible from outside the mouth. Dentists surgically removed all of them and retained his normal teeth, numbering 21.

On Wednesday, the boy climbed on to his father's arms and shyly smiled at the flashing media cameras. He then touched his slightly swollen jaw and said, "No pain."

Doctors at Saveetha Dental College said it has taken only a few minutes for them to convince the boy's parents that surgery was necessary. But doctors and postgraduate students had to speak to the boy for several hours before he agreed to cooperate.

Once he agreed, dentists removed the abnormal teeth in a surgery that lasted nearly five hours.

"This is not just about our surgical accomplishment. It's about the need to improve paediatric dental care and create better awareness about oral hygiene and dentistry among people," said college's head of the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery Dr Senthilnathan.

Though doctors were not able to conclude what had caused the abnormal growth, they said it could be because of radiation from mobile towers and genetic causes.

Next Story
Share it