India: Doctors remove 80 teeth from 7-year-old boy's jaw

In the second such story to emerge from India, doctors on Friday (26 December) removed 80 teeth from the upper jaw of a seven-year-old boy, in a rare surgery performed at a hospital in the Indore city of India.

After nearly four hours of complex surgery led by Dr. Bharat Maheshwari at the Maharaja Yeshwantrao (MY) hospital in Indore in India, surgeons successfully removed the 80 teeth formed in one of the jaws of the boy, identified as Vivek.

"The patient had visited us five days ago with abscess in upper jaw. Upon medical investigations, it was diagnosed a case of odontoma. We planned the surgery and removed 80 teeth after clearing abscess, which is rare in tender age," Dr Maheshwari told The Times of India.

Odontoma is a benign tumor that results in the formation of cluster of cells or dental tissue that resembles tooth-like structures in the patient's gums or jaw.

"Teeth forming cells in such a large number are not found in kids of this age group. Had the patient visited us four years later, at least 200-odd teeth could have developed. The surgery is difficult in such cases as jaw becomes weak, heightening chances of fractures," said Dr Ankit Khasgiwala.

The 5x3.5 cm abscess required hours of oral and maxilla facial surgeons to successfully remove it, confirmed doctors at MY hospital.

In July, doctors at Sir J.J. Hospital in Mumbai created a world record by removing 232 teeth from the mouth of a teenager.

Dr Dhivare-Palwankar had described the condition as a 'developmental anomaly', known in the medical profession as a 'Complex Composite Odonntom' or a benign tumour of the tooth. The condition causes difficulty in eating, swallowing and can lead to the swelling of the face but it is not life threatening.

The entire surgery had lasted over seven hours.