Restorative Dentistry Dens evaginatus of anterior teeth (talon cusp):

The talon cusp, or dens evaginatus of anterior teeth, is a relatively rare dental developmental anomaly characterized by the presence of an accessory cusplike structure projecting from the cingulum area or ce-mentoenamel junction. This occurs in either maxiiiary or mandibular anterior teeth in both the primary and permanent dentition. This articie reports five cases of talon cusp, two of them bilateral, affecting perma-nent maxiiiary centrai and lateral incisors and canines that caused ciinicai problems related to caries or occiusal interferences. (Quintessence int 2003:34:272-277) Key words; Dens evaginatus, dentai anomalies, occlusal interference, talon cusp D ens evaginatus is a developmental anomaly char-acterized by the presence of an extra cusp, occur-ring more frequently in mandibular premolars. ' In ca-nines and incisors, dens evaginatus originates usually in the palatal cingtilus as a tuhcrcle projecting from the palatal surface; however, the anomaly also has af-fected the labial surface of the tooth.- ' Mitchell " first descrihed this dental anomaly as a "process of horn-like shape, curving from the base downward to the eiitting edge " on the lingual surface of a maxillary cen-tral incisor of a female patient. Mellor and Ripa^ named the accessory cusp talon cusp because of its re-semblance in shape to an eagle's talon. Talon cusp oecurs more frequently in the perma-nent than in the primary dentition and shows a predilection for the maxilla over the mandible. ^ The maxillary lateral incisors are the most frequently in