Oligodontia

What it means

The absence of six or more teeth from the normal series by a failure to develop.

The diagnosis of oligodontia requires a radiograph, as is true for anodontia and for the other designation of tooth agenesis, hypodontia. The terms hypodontia and oligodontia are sometimes used interchangeably in the literature while on other occasions hypodontia is used for selective agenesis of six or less missing teeth while oligodontia is applied when there are more than six missing teeth. Tooth agenesis or oligodontia/hypodontia can be mistaken for delayed eruption and again a radiograph is needed for diagnosis. Absence of teeth may be congenital (tooth agenesis) or acquired. The incidence of congenital absence of teeth is different depending on the type and position of the tooth [Gorlin et al, 2001].

Rare diseases that can present with this30

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions, and Orphanet separately records 1 disease where this sign is specifically absent. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category

Also called: Missing more than six teeth · Number of teeth decreased by more than six · Partial anodontia