Intranasal tooth as a complication of cleft lip and alveolus in a four year old child: case report and literature review

Abstract

Ectopic position of teeth is not rare. The presence of teeth have been reported in ovaries, testes, anterior mediastinum, and pre-sacral regions. In the maxillofacial region, teeth have been found in maxillary sinus, mandibular condyle, coronoid process, chin, nose, and even orbit. Approximately 50 cases of a tooth in the nasal cavity have been reported in literature. However, an intranasal tooth in cases of cleft lip and palate is comparatively rare. Intranasal teeth can cause problems such as nasal obstruction, chronic rhinorrhea and speech problems. Sometimes however, they are totally symptom-free. We present here an interesting case of an intranasal tooth in a four year-old-boy, who was operated on for cleft lip and alveolus at 6 months of age. The intranasal tooth did not cause any symptoms. The tooth was extracted under general anaesthesia when it was found to be very loosely attached to the nasal mucosa. The case is discussed in the light of relevant literature on intranasal teeth in cases of cleft lip and palate.