Prevalence of taurodontism and its association with tooth agenesis in a Turkish subpopulation

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of taurodontism in a Turkish subpopulation and to investigate whether there is an association between tooth agenesis and taurodontism. Materials and Methods: A total of 3108 digital panoramic radiographs were retrospectively examined to determine the prevalence of taurodontism, hypodontia, and oligodontia. Taurodontism was evaluated on all posterior permanent teeth according to its type, tooth type, and gender. Pearson's Chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests were used for comparisons ( P < 0.05). Results: Taurodontism was found in 161 patients - 102 females (5.4%) and 59 males (4.7%) - for a prevalence of 5.1%; there was no statistically significant difference between genders. Taurodonts were more common in the mandible (1.4%) than in the maxilla (1%), and the tooth most commonly affected by taurodontism was the mandibular second molar (3.7%). The frequency of taurodontism was higher in patients with tooth agenesis (10%) than in patients without tooth agenesis (4.9%); this difference was statistically significant ( P = 0.015). Its prevalence was also more common in patients with oligodontia (30%) than in patients with hypodontia (8.1%). Conclusion: The prevalence of taurodontism was 5.1% of dental patients. Its frequency was higher in patients with tooth agenesis than in patients without tooth agenesis, and it was more common in patients with oligodontia than in patients with hypodontia.