Child has 526 ‘teeth’ removed from mouth

Doctors make unusual discovery four years after parents first notice swelling in jaw

More than 500 "teeth" have been removed from a seven-year-old boy’s mouth in India, doctors have said.

The child, named as Ravindranath, was brought to Saveetha Dental College in Chennai after he complained of swelling in his jaw and his parents worried he could have mouth cancer.

Doctors later discovered a large hard structure, weighing around 200 grams, inside his jaw that had to be removed by surgeons.

When this was cut open, they found an unprecedented 526 tooth-like pieces, varying in size from 1mm to 15mm, each with a “crown covered by enamel and a root-like structure”.

Pathologists at the hospital said the discovery “was reminiscent of pearls in an oyster”.

"We opened up the jaw after administering general anaesthesia and saw a bag/sack inside it,” P Senthilnathan, a professor at Saveetha Dental College, said. "The sack, weighing about 200 grams, was carefully removed and was later found to contain 526 teeth - small, medium and large.”

The boy had been taken to hospital when he was three years old after his parents noticed a small swelling in his jaw.

At that time, the boy refused to co-operate with medical procedures and the swelling was left undiagnosed.

After his most recent operation, it was diagnosed as a “compound odontome” - a benign tumour which is linked to tooth development.

The boy was able to keep his other 21 normal teeth and his surgery was performed free of cost.

The cause of the condition is not yet know but Dr Pratibha Ramani, a professor at the college, said genetics could be one of the reasons.

Dr Ramani added doctors would be investigating whether “radiation from mobile phone towers” was a factor in the condition.

"I am very happy now that my child is fine. I am relieved. He is eating happily and leading a normal life," the boy's father said.

Saveetha Dental College said the case was the first time so many teeth had been found in a single person.

A similar case occurred in 2014, when doctors in Mumbai removed 232 "teeth" from the mouth of a teenager after a seven-hour operation.

According to Guinness World Records, the record for the highest number of teeth found in a mouth is held by Vijay Kumar, who is also from India and has 37 full-sized teeth.

Agencies contributed to this report