Trends and clinical characteristics of congenital tooth agenesis from electronic medical records

GUO Xin-yue; XU Tao-yun; DUAN Xiao-hong

doi:10.15956/j.cnki.chin.j.conserv.dent.2025.02.003

Abstract：AIM:A retrospective study based on electronic medical records was conducted to investigate patient visit patterns and clinical characteristics of congenital tooth agenesis,and to provide data for monitoring and preventing this condition.METHODS:The clinical data of patients diagnosed with congenital tooth agenesis in the Third Affiliated Hospital of the Air Force Military Medical University(Stomatological Hospital of the Fourth Military Medical University)and the electronic medical record system from January 2021 to December 2023 were included,and retrospective statistical analysis was conducted according to age,gender,cause of visit and department,type of missing teeth,tooth position,general medical history,family history and other information.RESULTS:Among the 1 713 211 first visiting patients,only 0.026%(n=445)were diagnosed with congenital tooth agenesis.The most common visiting age was 5-9 years,followed by 10-14 years.About 40.8%of the patients visited the hospital due to congenital tooth agenesis or accompanying symptoms(such as unerupted teeth,retained deciduous teeth,and large diastemas),and 59.2%of the cases were due to other oral problems.More than 90%of patients were treated in the following departments:pediatric dentistry,clinic of oral rare and genetic diseases,and prosthodontics;About 4.7%of all patients with congenital tooth agenesis were associated with ectodermal dysplasia and related syndromes.81.8%had one to three missing deciduous teeth,with the mandibular lateral incisors being the most commonly affected teeth.congenitally missing permanent teeth was most common in the second premolars and lateral incisors.Compared to hypodontia,those with oligodontia showed significantly increased rates of missing teeth in different tooth positions.CONCLUSION:EMRs are valuable for symptom detection,disease classification,and monitoring trends of low-incidence oral diseases like congenital tooth agenesis.However,electronic medical records still face challenges such as inconsistent record quality and information bias.Improving EMR quality control,promoting nationwide implementation of the"Oral Rare Disease list"with ICD codes in hospitals,and establishing specialized clinics for oral genetic disorders will improve diagnostic efficiency,prevention and treatment of this condition.