Bilateral maxillary canines agenesis: a case report and a literature review.

BACKGROUND: Agenesis of permanent canines is an uncommon condition that affects human teeth. In fact, canine is the most variable positioned tooth, it can be found palatally or facially displaced or ectopically erupted from the dental arch. On the contrary, canine agenesis is a rare finding in Caucasian populations, but it may be relatively more common in Asian groups. This dental anomaly is firstly influenced by genetic, and less often by systemic and environmental factors. Generally, it can occur in association with other dental disturbances or as a solitary anomaly. Prevalence of agenesis permanent teeth varies between 4.5% and 7.4% in general Caucasian populatioN. AIM: The purpose of this report is to discuss the aetiology, prevalence, diagnosis and clinical implications of canine agenesis. CASE REPORT: This paper reports an unusual case of bilateral, congenitally missing canines in a healthy 10 year old Italian male.