361 - Unusual Presentation of Natal Teeth in a Neonate

Primary teeth generally begin to erupt as early as 4 months of age. In rare circumstances, neonates have teeth erupted at birth. Natal teeth have unknown etiology but exhibit significant clinical implications to the neonate and mother. This report discusses a 23-hour-old female at the Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital Nursey with mother’s chief complaint of feeding issues. Upon clinical exam, this neonate had four natal teeth: two mandibular central incisors and two maxillary first molars. All four teeth exhibited clinical mobility and had undeveloped root formation radiographically. The teeth were extracted due to fear of aspiration, inability to adequately feed, mother’s discomfort while feeding, and undeveloped enamel formation. The neonate’s recovery was uneventful but begs the question of why these teeth erupted in the first place and the future implications of early extraction of four primary teeth.