Dental lamina cyst of newborn: a case report

Natal teeth in premature dizygotic twin girls

Presence or eruption of teeth immediately at or after birth is a rarely reported phenomenon. This condition is referred to as natal teeth, neonatal teeth, congenital teeth, fetal teeth, predeciduous teeth and dentitia praecox. The most affected teeth are lower primary central incisors with the incidence of 1:2000 for natal and 1:3500 for neonatal teeth. The aetiology of this anomaly is still not clear, however, attributes have been reported in relation to congenital teeth, multiple factors and some syndromes. The management of such cases depends on clinical characteristics of natal or neonatal teeth, as well as complications that they might cause. The aim of this paper is to discuss a rare case of occurrence of two natal teeth in both premature dizygotic twin female babies with specific emphasis on the literature review related to concerns regarding prevalence, aetiology, clinical characteristics, differential diagnosis, complications and management.

Unusual symptomatic inclusion cysts in a newborn: a case report

Introduction

Dental lamina cysts are cysts that occur as white or pink small nodules, often multiple, approximately 1 to 3mm in diameter. They are typically located on the midpalatine raphe and less frequently on the maxillary and mandibular alveolar mucosa; in the latter case these can be appear to be neonatal teeth.

On microscopic examination, these lesions show a stratified squamous epithelium (two to three cell layers); it is possible to find protein, keratin and/or exfoliated epithelial cells in the lumen of the lesions.

Neonatal cysts usually show no particular symptoms. They are associated with an excellent prognosis because they regress spontaneously within a few weeks and are not associated to any complications. However, if pain, bleeding or other symptoms occur, a surgical excision is required.

Case presentation

In this paper, we present an anomalous case of symptomatic dental lamina cyst which affected a 60-day-old male Caucasian newborn. The surgical treatment was elective in this case and 6-month follow-ups were mandatory.

Conclusions

We can underline the successful predictability of the surgical approach; however, we consider that the treatment choice should take place in the light of medical history and clinical considerations, and always be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Further studies and reviews in this field should be performed in order to suggest guidelines for clinicians, although these cases are rare.

Dental lamina cysts in a newborn infant

Cystic lesions of transient nature viz. Epstein pearls, Bohn's nodules and dental lamina cysts are frequently found in the oral cavities of newborn infants. These cysts arise from the developing dental tissues or from their remnants. These cystic lesions are not commonly seen by the dental surgeons due to their self-limiting nature and ignorance of the parents to seek the professional opinion. However, when contacted by anxious parents seeking treatment, dental surgeons should be able to explain and reassure the parents about the transient nature of these lesions and need for no treatment but regular follow-up. The present case report was written with the purpose to increase the awareness in dental surgeons about the peculiar clinical presentation and self-limiting nature of these cystic lesions, so that unnecessary surgical intervention can be avoided in such young infants.