"First-Ever Case": Boy Develops 'Canine Tooth' Above Eyelid

Teeth Growing Outside the Gums: A Rare Phenomenon
Neglect Could Threaten Affected Body Parts

A rare case in India, where a teenage boy developed a ‘tooth’ growing from his eyelid, is attracting significant attention from the medical community.

According to the New York Post on September 28 (local time), a 16-year-old boy identified as A, who lives in India, recently experienced the highly unusual phenomenon of a tooth growing from his eyelid.

The outlet reported that A had suffered from a painless swelling above his left eyelid for several months. Eventually, two white protrusions began to emerge between his eyelid and eyebrow. He later went to Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India.

A photo of an Indian boy with teeth growing above his eyelid. New York Post website

Doctors initially assumed the white protruding areas on his eyelid were malformed bones, but detailed imaging revealed that they were actually part of a canine tooth. The condition in which teeth grow in parts of the body other than the mouth is known as ‘ectopic teeth’.

Ectopic teeth can cause permanent damage to surrounding tissues at the site where they develop, or lead to complications in other parts of the body. Ultimately, the medical team performed surgery to remove the ectopic teeth from the boy’s eyelid.

Dr. Meghana Tanwar, who performed the procedure, stated that “this patient was the first case ever reported of ectopic teeth developing in the superior orbital region (area above the eye),” and described the case as highly unusual.

She added, “No evidence of any other teeth was found on imaging,” and said, “it is unlikely the boy has additional ectopic teeth elsewhere.”

The cause of the tooth’s development on A’s left eyelid has not been determined. However, this is not the first time teeth have grown in places other than the gums.

According to a previous report published in the international medical journal ‘The New England Journal of Medicine’, a 38-year-old man in New York, identified as B, grew a tooth inside his right nostril. After suffering from breathing difficulties for several years, he eventually discovered the presence of a tooth in his nostril after visiting a hospital, and, following surgery, doctors were able to remove the ectopic tooth.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.