Dental Morphological Anomalies in the Adi Tribe of Pasighat in Arunachal Pradesh

Objective: To identify three dental morphological anomalies of permanent teeth namely Peg Laterals, Dens Evaginatus and Rudimentary third molars in the Adi tribe of Pasighat area of Arunachal Pradesh. Methods: Oral examination for morphological anomalies was done in 156 individuals using a dental mirror and probefor the said anomalies and a questionnaire with details relevant to the study was used during examination. Results: A total of 156 samples were screened and 35% presented with at least one anomaly out of which 31% had one anomaly, 4% had two anomalies and 0% had more than two anomalies. Total number of positive cases (both single and dual) for each of the anomalies was-Peg Laterals 25%, Dens Evaginatus 20% and Rudimentary third molar 4%. One other anomaly, i.e. Cusp of Carabelli not previously considered in this study was found in 22% of the cases. Conclusion: The data obtained from the present study confirms the prevalence of dental anomalies namely, Peg Laterals, Dens Evaginatus, Rudimentary third molars and Cusp of Carabelli in the tribal population of Pasighat similar to other Mongoloid populations of the world.