Supernumerary teeth causing delayed eruption--a retrospective study.

The majority of previous studies that have looked at the management of delayed eruption secondary to a supernumerary tooth advocate exposure of the unerupted tooth at the time of supernumerary removal. However, accepted UK orthodontic practice is to extract the supernumerary and provide sufficient space for the unerupted tooth to erupt spontaneously. The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the management and outcome for 96 patients who had been referred to Newcastle Dental Hospital between 1976 and 1988 who between them had 120 teeth with delayed eruption secondary to a supernumerary tooth.