Genetic study of non-syndromic tooth agenesis through the screening of paired box 9, msh homeobox 1, axin 2, and Wnt family member 10A genes: a case-series

Non-syndromic tooth agenesis (NSTA) is the most common developmental anomaly in humans. Several studies have been conducted on dental agenesis and numerous genes have been identified. However, the pathogenic mechanisms responsible for NSTA are not clearly understood. We studied a group of 28 patients with sporadic NSTA and nine patients with a family history of tooth agenesis. We focused on four genes - paired box 9 (PAX9), Wnt family member 10A (WNT10A), msh homeobox 1 (MSX1), and axin 2 (AXIN2) - using direct Sanger sequencing of the exons and intron-exon boundaries. The most prevalent variants identified in PAX9 and AXIN2 genes were analyzed using the chi-square test. The sequencing results revealed a number of variants in the AXIN2 gene, including one novel missense mutation in one patient with agenesis of a single second premolar. We also identified one variant in the AXIN2 gene as being a putative risk factor for tooth agenesis. Only one missense mutation was identified in the WNT10A gene and this mutation was found in two patients. Interestingly, WNT10A is reported as the most prevalent gene mutated in the European population with NSTA.

Hypodontia and ovarian cancer: A systematic review

Hypodontia can be defined as the non-formation of one or more teeth during the developmental period. Mutation in several genes related to tooth formation has previously been correlated with cancer. Regarding the ovarian cancer, there are few studies that associate the presence of hypodontia with ovarian cancer. A systematic literature search was performed in PubMed and Scopus. In total, 385 patients were included in this study. Control group was present in 3 out of 4 studies (340 patients). Hypodontia was present in 56 out of 290 patients (incidence of 19.3%). Only in 2 out of 4 studies, the number of missing teeth was mentioned (47 teeth), while the majority of them were either maxillary second premolars or maxillary lateral incisors. Unilateral distribution of the missing teeth was present in 28 out of 46 patients, while bilateral distribution of the missing teeth was present in 18 out of 46 patients. The presence of ovarian cancer in the family medical history occurred in 12 out of 33 patients. Only 1 out of 4 studies examined the presence of genes with mutations in the included patients. Based on our findings, the lack of clinical studies was the principal obstacle to clarify the possible predictive value of hypodontia in the early prediction of patients with higher risk of ovarian cancer.