A teenager in India, who had more than
200 "teeth" growing in his mouth due to a benign
dental tumor, has had them removed.
Ashik Gavai, a 17-year-old student from
Buldhana, underwent the six-hour operation,
which involved four doctors at Mumbai's J.J.
Hospital on July 21.
The teen had 232 denticles -- abnormal teeth-like
growth -- lodged in his mouth due to a complex
composite odontoma, a benign dental tumor.
The abnormal teeth were embedded in the bone
inside the lower right jaw and were not visible
from outside the mouth. Surgeons say the surgery
was "dangerous" and the patient's jawbone will
take three to four months to heal.
"It is very common for a person to
have a (small) number of abnormal
teeth, but this many is very rare," said
Dr. Sunanda Dhiware, head of the
Department of Dentistry at J.J.
Hospital. She adds that she knows of
cases where 40 to 50 teeth were
removed.
Gavai's normal teeth are to remain in
his mouth, although the doctors did
help to remove a wisdom tooth.
The teen is currently recovering in the
hospital and has been put on a liquid
diet of mainly coconut water and milk.
According to Dr. Vandana Thoravade, surgeon in
the ENT department at J.J. Hospital, the
operation could have cost as much as 250,000
rupees (about $4,000), which the Gavai family
could not afford. The teen's father is a farm
laborer who earns 150-200 rupees ($2-3) a day.
The government's Rajiv Gandhi Jeevandayee
Arogya Yojana program -- which supports low
income patients -- took care of the bill.
Gavai's doctors said the denticles likely started
to form when the patient was six years old, but
Gavai did not notice the abnormal teeth until a
month ago, when his mouth began to swell.
The village doctors near his home in Buldhana
District, about 500 km from Mumbai, were unable
to treat Gavai's condition, and referred him to the
Mumbai hospital.
Doctors say denticles are likely to grow again in
Gavai's mouth, but probably not in such a large
number.
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