Identification of supernumerary teeth in 2D and 3D: review of literature and a proposal.

Supernumerary teeth occur in both syndromic and nonsyndromic patients, and dental professionals are likely to encounter such teeth in their professional careers. There are three main numbering systems used to identify teeth today: the Universal/ National, the Palmer/Zsigmondy notation, and the Federation Dentaire Internationale (FDI) numbering systems. However, a review of the literature suggests that none of these three consistently addresses the identification of supernumerary teeth. Being able to communicate the location of supernumerary teeth is important for dental professionals, especially in interdisciplinary situations. This article proposes a guideline to locate and identify supernumerary teeth in two and three dimensions, which may reduce treatment errors and improve communication among health care providers and third-party administrators.