Prevalence and characteristics of talon cusps in Turkish population

Abstract

Background: Talon cusp is a rare dental anomaly characterized by a cusp‑like projection, often

including the palatal surface of the affected tooth. The aim of the present study was to investigate

the prevalence and characteristics of talon cusps in a group of Turkish children.

Materials and Methods: The study population consisted of 14,400 subjects who attended the

clinics of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at the Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey . Subjects

ranged in age from 1 to 14 years with a mean age of 10.5 ± 2.55 years. Talon cusps were mainly

categorized by visual examination according to the classification of Hattab et al. The distribution and

frequency of talon cusps were calculated with respect to dentition type, tooth type, talon type, the

affected surface, associated dental anomalies, and clinical complications. Statistical analysis included

descriptive statistics, frequencies, and crosstabs with Chi‑square analysis.

Results: Talon cusps were detected in 49 subjects (26 males and 23 females) of 14,400 (0.34%).

A total of 108 teeth showed talon cusps. Distribution of talon cusps according to gender showed

no statistically significant differences. The incidence of talon cusps was found to be greater in

maxillary lateral incisors (53.7%) than central incisors (29.62%). Regarding the type of talon cusp,

47.22% of teeth showed a Type III talon cusp, whereas 30.55% of teeth demonstrated a Type II talon

and 22.22% of teeth demonstrated a Type I talon cusp. Nine patients (18.36%) with talon cups also

exhibited other developmental dental anomalies. Clinical complications associated with talon cusps

were detected as caries formation and occlusal interference.

Conclusion: This is the most comprehensive study of the prevalence of talon cusps in Turkish population

using the largest sample size to date. Also, taurodontism associated with a talon cusp has been reported

here for the 1st time. Clinical complications associated with talon cusps need more investigations.

Key Words: Accessory, developmental anomaly, talon, tooth