Abstract :
Human teeth show a large number of morphological variations and cuspal variations are one among them. A parastyle is a paramolar cusp that appears on the buccal surface of the maxillary molars. The exact cause of occurrence of parastyle is not clear but primarily it is found to be polygenetic in origin with some environmental influence. It is found to be rare in occurrence with prevalence of 0–0.1% in first molars, 0.4–2.8% in the upper second molar, and 0–4.7% in the maxillary third molars. Various dental problems like caries, sensitivity, interference with cementation of brackets, bands gingivitis, have been found to be associated with these extra cusps. These morphological findings are important for anthropologist and forensic experts. Few case reports are there in literature. The present article mentions the four cases of this rare morphologic variation.
Keyword :
Extra cusp, Parastyle, Protostylid, Maxillary molar, Paramolar tubercle.