The cause of talon cusp is unknown. The anomaly can occur due to genetic and environmental factors but the onset can be spontaneous. Prevention is difficult because the occurrence happens during the development of teeth.

Talon cusp affects men and women equally, however the majority of reported cases are of the male gender. Individuals of Asian, Arabic, Native American and Inuit descent are affected more commonly. Talon cusp is also highly observed in patients with orofacial digital II syndrome and Rubinstein Taybi syndrome. Other anomalies that occur with talon cusp can include peg laterals, supernumerary teeth, dens envaginatus, agenesis and impaction. A person belonging to one of these particular demographics or one who has any of these deformities or syndromes may have a higher risk of having a talon cusp.

Future studies will look further into the relationship of talon cusp and Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome and other oral-facial-digital syndromes. A former study showed a direct correlation in which 45 affected patients with Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, 92% of these patients had talon cusp. Other researchers are attempting to trace talon cusp to ancestors and comparing dentition to modern humans. Another study done in 2007 examined the dentition of 301 Native American Indian skeletons for the presence or absence of talon cusp. The results showed five skeletons (2 percent) in the population had the trait.

In 2011, only 21 cases of talon cusp have been reported and are in literature. It appears that as of 2014 and 2015, additional research continues in hopes of finding the cause and mechanism of talon cusp. With the majority of cases of talon cusp being unreported, it remains difficult to conduct tests, come up with conclusions, conduct surgery and perform research with small numbers.

Behavior therapy is important especially when the kids are in their primary dentition in the pre-adolescent age. Improving habits at this time may lead to self-correction of open bite in many cases. Sometimes presence of infantile swallowing into early childhood may lead to an anterior open bite in patients. Habit control through appliances such as Tongue crib or Tongue spurs may be used in adolescent ages if the behavior modification fails to stop the habit.

Literature states that very few crossbites tend to self-correct which often justify the treatment approach of correcting these bites as early as possible. Only 0–9% of crossbites self-correct. Lindner et al. reported that in a 50% of crossbites were corrected in 76 four year old children.

Man-Suk Baek and others evaluated long-term stability of anterior open bite by intrusion of maxillary posterior teeth. Their results showed that the molars were intruded by 2.39mm during treatment and relapsed back by 0.45mm or 22.8%. The incisal overbite increased by 5.56mm during treatment and relapsed back by 1.20mm or 17%. They concluded that majority of the relapse occurred during first year of treatment.

Aetiology of CTS is multifactorial, the causative factors include:

- previous restorative procedures.

- occlusal factors

- developmental conditions/anatomical considerations.

- trauma

- others, e.g, aging dentition or presence of lingual tongue studs.

Most commonly involved teeth are mandibular molars followed by maxillary premolars, maxillary molars and maxillary premolars. in a recent audit, mandibular first molar thought to be most affected by CTS possibly due to the wedging effect of opposing pointy, protruding maxillary mesio-palatal cusp onto the mandibular molar central fissure.

OAF is a complication of oroantral communication. Other complications may arise if left untreated. For example:

- Candidal infection

- Chronic maxillary sinus infection of bacterial origin

- Osteomyelitis

- Rhinosinusitis

- Sinus pathology

Therefore, OAF should be dealt with first, before treating the complications.

Studies have shown that sinusitis is found in about 60% of the cases on the fourth day after the manifestation of sinus. Moreover, patient may be afflicted with an acute sinus disease if OAC is not treated promptly upon detecting clear signs of sinusitis. So, early diagnosis of OAC must be conducted in order to prevent OAF from setting in.

Spontaneous healing of small perforation is expected to begin about 48 hours after tooth extraction and it remains possible during the following two weeks. Patient must consult the dentist as early as possible should a large defect of more than 7mm in diameter or a dogged opening that requires closure is discovered so that appropriate and suitable treatment can be swiftly arranged or referral to Oral Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) be made at the local hospital, if required.

A comprehensive preoperative radiographic evaluation is a must as the risk of OAC can increase due to one or more of the following situations :-

- Close relationship between the roots of the maxillary posterior teeth and the sinus floor

- Increased divergence or dilaceration of the roots of the tooth

- Marked pneumatization of the sinus leading to a larger size

- Peri-radicular lesions involving teeth or roots in close association with the sinus floor

Hence, in such cases:

- Avoid using too much of apical pressure during tooth extraction

- Perform surgical extraction with roots sectioning

- Consider referral to OMFS at local hospital

A maxillary torus is only removed in instances where it is problematic. This includes cases where in an edentulous patient, it extends to the vibrating line, preventing a posterior seal of the denture and posterior seal at the fovea palatinae. Other indications for removal include frequent trauma to the torus, owing to its size or the thinness of the mucoperiosteum overlying it, disturbance of speech, and rapid growth in patients who are cancer-phobic.

There are many possible causes for gingival recession:

- By far the most common cause is gum disease (periodontal disease).

- Overaggressive brushing is often assumed to cause gum recession, however a systematic review of the literature concludes that "The data to support or refute the association between tooth brushing and gingival recession are inconclusive." A subsequent study found horizontal tooth brushing technique (versus Bass technique or circular methods), medium-hardness toothbrush use and brushing only once daily were associated with gingival recession.

- Hereditary thin, fragile or insufficient gingival tissue predisposes to gingival recession.

- Dipping tobacco, which affects the mucous membrane lining in the mouth and will cause receding gums over time

- Self-inflicted trauma, such as habits like digging a fingernail or pencil into the gum. This type of recession more commonly associated with children and persons with psychiatric disorders.

- Scurvy (lack of dietary vitamin C)

- Acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis

- Abnormal tooth position, such as tooth crowding, giving inadequate cover of one or more teeth by the jaw bone.

- Piercings in the lip or tongue that wear away the gum by rubbing against it.

- Intentional gingival retraction. For example, the adult tooth may not grow out of the gum, and to remedy this, a procedure called an exposure is done. It involves the gum tissue being cut open to allow the adult tooth to grow out. This is a less common cause of gum recession.

Dens evaginatus is a condition found in teeth where the outer surface appears to form an extra bump or cusp. Premolars are more likely to be affected than any other tooth. This may be seen more frequently in Asians, but almost exclusively in Down Syndrome. The pulp of the tooth may extend into the dens evaginatus. There is a risk of the dens evaginatus chipping off in normal function. Hence this condition requires monitoring as the tooth can lose its blood and nerve supply as a result and may need root canal treatment.

Erosion is chemical dissolution of tooth substance caused by acids, unrelated to the acid produced by bacteria in dental plaque. Erosion may occur with excessive consumption of acidic foods and drinks, or medical conditions involving repeated regurgitation and reflux of gastric acid. derived from the Latin word "erosum", which describes the action ‘to corrode’. This is usually on the palatal (inside) surfaces of upper front teeth and the occluding (top) surfaces of the molar teeth.

- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)

- Vomiting, e.g. bulimia, alcoholism

- Rumination

- Eructation (burping)

- Dietary - liquids of low pH and high titratable acids.

Crossbite is a form of malocclusion where a tooth (or teeth) has a more buccal or lingual position (that is, the tooth is either closer to the cheek or to the tongue) than its corresponding antagonist tooth in the upper or lower dental arch. In other words, crossbite is a lateral misalignment of the dental arches.

An oral torus is a lesion made of compact bone and occurs along the palate or the mandible inside the mouth. The palatal torus or "torus palatinus" occurs along the palate, close to the midline, whereas the mandibular torus or "torus mandibularis" occur along the lingual side of the mandible.

Occurrences of tori are more frequent in women than in men. Tori are associated with adulthood and rarely appear before the age of 15. The palatal version of tori have a higher occurrence in Native American and Inuit populations.

Treatment is not necessary unless they become an obstruction to chewing or prosthetic appliances.

In dentistry, a furcation defect is bone loss, usually a result of periodontal disease, affecting the base of the root trunk of a tooth where two or more roots meet ("bifurcation" or "trifurcation"). The extent and configuration of the defect are factors in both diagnosis and treatment planning.

A tooth with a furcation defect typically possessed a more diminished prognosis owing to the difficulty of rendering the furcation area free from periodontal pathogens. For this reason, surgical periodontal treatment may be considered to either close the furcation defect with grafting procedures or allow greater access to the furcation defect for improved oral hygiene.

Recent advances have seen the introduction of platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) infused bone graft material. This material is usually combined with the cellular matrix to form a soft bone paste that is then covered by the allograft. The development of this type of bone and tissue cellular matrix (also known as ortho filler) results in greater osseointegration with the patient's healthy bone and soft tissue.

Healing from such procedures requires 2–4 weeks. After a few months the results can be evaluated and in some cases the new tissue needs to be reshaped in a very minor procedure to get an optimal result. In cases where recession is not accompanied by periodontal bone loss, complete or near complete coverage of the recession area is achievable.

Dens invaginatus, also known as dens in dente ("tooth within a tooth") is a condition found in teeth where the outer surface folds inward. There are coronal and radicular forms, with the coronal form being more common.

Dens invaginatus is a malformation of teeth most likely resulting from an infolding of the dental papilla during tooth development or invagination of all layers of the enamel organ in dental papillae. Affected teeth show a deep infolding of enamel and dentine starting from the foramen coecum or even the tip of the cusps and which may extend deep into the root. Teeth most affected are maxillary lateral incisors and bilateral occurrence is not uncommon. The malformation shows a broad spectrum of morphologic variations and frequently results in early pulp necrosis. Root canal therapy may present severe problems because of the complex anatomy of the teeth. Cause, prevalence, classification, and therapeutic considerations including root canal therapy, apical surgery and prevention of pulpal involvement are reviewed.

1-increased localised pressure.

2- focal growth retardation and stimulation.

The treatment aims are to eliminate the bacteria from the exposed surface of the root(s) and to establish the anatomy of the tooth, so that better plaque control can be achieved. Treatment plans for patients differ depending on the local and anatomical factors.

For Grade I furcation, scaling and polishing, root surface debridement or furcationplasty could be done if suitable.

For Grade II furcation, furcationplasty, open debridement, tunnel preparation, root resection, extraction, guided tissue regeneration (GTR) or enamel matrix derivative could be considered.

As for Grade III furcation, open debridement, tunnel preparation, root resection, GTR or tooth extraction could be performed if appropriate.

Tooth extraction is usually considered if there is extensive loss of attachment or if other treatments will not obtain good result (i.e. achieving a nice gingival contour to allow good plaque control).

An impacted tooth is one that fails to erupt into the dental arch within the expected developmental window.

Because impacted teeth do not erupt, they are retained throughout the individual's lifetime unless extracted or exposed surgically. Teeth may become impacted because of adjacent teeth, dense overlying bone, excessive soft tissue or a genetic abnormality. Most often, the cause of impaction is inadequate arch length and space in which to erupt. That is the total length of the alveolar arch is smaller than the tooth arch (the combined mesiodistal width of each tooth). The wisdom teeth (third molars) are frequently impacted because they are the last teeth to erupt in the oral cavity. Mandibular third molars are more commonly impacted than their maxillary counterparts. As a general rule, all impacted teeth must be removed, except canine teeth; canines do not need surgery and may just remain buried and give no further problems.

Erupted teeth that are adjacent to impacted teeth are predisposed to periodontal disease. Since the most difficult tooth surface to be cleaned is the distal surface of the last tooth, in the presence of an impacted tooth there is always gingival inflammation around the second molar that is invariably present. Even this minor amount of inflammation can provide bacteria access to a larger portion of the root surface that results in early formation of periodontitis compromising the tooth.

Even in situations in which no obvious communication exists between the mouth and the impacted third molar there may be enough communication to initiate dental caries (tooth decay).

Abfraction is loss of tooth substance at the cervical margins, purportedly caused by minute flexure of teeth under occlusal loading. The term is derived from the Latin words "ab" and "functio" meaning ‘away’ and ‘breaking’ respectively. Abfraction presents as triangular lesions along the Cervical margins of the buccal surfaces of the teeth where the enamel is thinner and therefore, in the presence of occluding forces, is prone to fracture. Whether abfraction exists or not is debated.

Odontomas are thought to be the second most frequent type of odontogenic tumor worldwide (after ameloblastoma), accounting for about 20% of all cases within this relatively uncommon tumor category which shows large geographic variations in incidence.

Cracked tooth syndrome could be considered a type of dental trauma and also one of the possible causes of dental pain. One definition of cracked tooth syndrome is "a fracture plane of unknown depth and direction passing through tooth structure that, if not already involving, may progress to communicate with the pulp and/or periodontal ligament."

Torus palatinus "(pl. tori palatini)" [palatinus torus "(pl. palatal tori)" in English] is a bony protrusion on the palate. Palatal tori are usually present on the midline of the hard palate. Most palatal tori are less than 2 cm in diameter, but their size can change throughout life.

Prevalence of palatal tori ranges from 9–60% and are more common than bony growths occurring on the mandible, known as torus mandibularis. Palatal tori are more common in Asian, Native American and Inuit populations, and twice more common in females. In the United States, the prevalence is 20% - 35% of the population with similar findings between black and white people.

Although some research suggest palatal tori to be an autosomal dominant trait, it is generally believed that palatal tori are caused by several factors. They are more common in early adult life and can increase in size. In some older people, the size of the tori may decrease due to bone resorption. It is believed that tori of the lower jaw are the result of local stresses and not solely on genetic influences.

Sometimes, the tori are categorized by their appearance. Arising as a broad base and a smooth surface, flat tori are located on the midline of the palate and extend symmetrically to either side. Spindle tori have a ridge located at their midline. Nodular tori have multiple bony growths that each have their own base. Lobular tori have multiple bony growths with a common base.

Palatal tori are usually a clinical finding with no treatment necessary. It is possible for ulcers to form on the area of the tori due to repeated trauma. Also, the tori may complicate the fabrication of dentures. If removal of the tori is needed, surgery can be done to reduce the amount of bone present.