Anterior supernumerary teeth--assessment and surgical intervention in children.

The purpose of this paper was to present various guidelines in the diagnostic assessment and surgical management of anterior supernumerary teeth in chiMren. Early detection and prudent management of these teeth was considered essentiai in reducing disturbances in the eruption and position of the adjacent permanent incisors. It was recormnended that immediate surgical removal be performed unless the supernumerary tooth was diagnosed as a non-inverted conical type or placed above the apices of the adjacent permanent teeth. If sufficient arch space was provided but the permanent incisor failed to erupt on its own accord, surgical exposure was then indicated for the unerupted crown. I~nally, orthodontic traction was recommended only if spontaneous eruption did not occur within a short period of observation following crown exposure.