Dental and bone abnormalities in patients with familial polyposis coli.

Dental and bone abnormalities of the maxilla and mandible are present in approximately 80% of patients with familial polyposis coli. The dental abnormalities include impacted teeth (other than third molars), supernumerary teeth, congenitally missing teeth, fused roots of first and second molars, and unusually long and tapered roots of posterior teeth. The bone lesions consist mostly of osteomas, either isolated or in clusters, in the maxilla and mandible or of exostoses with lateral and/or lingual extensions. Since dental and bone abnormalities are already present early in life there is a strong suggestion that they may be used as diagnostic features in the recognition of familial polyposis coli.