Taurodontism in Klinefelter’s Syndrome

Abstract

Vertical enlargement of the molar pulp chamber was termed taurodontism (“bull-like” teeth) by Keith (1913). In this variant of the multirooted human teeth in which the body of the tooth is increased at the expense of the roots, as regularly seen in cattle, the teeth characteristically have a prismatic shape (Heider and Wedl 1869). Such taurodont teeth (Fig. 1b, Fig.1 c) were common among Neanderthal men (Scholz and Rossiwall 1981) but can be considered quite rare in modern man, in whom the incidence is quoted as being between 0.5% and 2.5% depending on those criteria used to define taurodontism apart from the trait of vertical enlargement of the pulp chamber. Thus within taurodontism there are a number of variations, from the normal cynodont (Fig. 1 a) to the hypertaurodont (Fig. 1 c) forms. Taurodont molars are reported to be associated with various syndromes, particularly those in which ectodermal defects occur (Witkop 1976). The fact that in several patients X chromosomal aneuploidy was initially suspected owing to the presence of taurodont molars (Feichtinger and Rossiwall 1977; Jaspers and Witkop 1980) between the ages of 7 and 12 years (e.g. patient in Fig. 2) raised hopes that routine panoramic X-rays for dental diagnosis might prove a reliable diagnostic tool for the detection of Klinefelter’s syndrome. However, marked taurodont (hypertaurodont) molars which permit such ready diagnosis from oral X-rays have not been found regularly in sex chromosome aneuploidy (Feichtinger and Rossiwall 1977).