Taurodontism in a young adult Chinese population.

The first and second molars on the panoramic radiographs of 196 consecutive 15-19-year-old Chinese adults (male:female ratio; 46:54) were assessed in order to establish the prevalence of taurodontism, which is considered to be a marker of underlying genetic disease. The criteria of Shifman and Chanannel (Community Dent Oral Epidemiol 1978; 6: 200-3) were employed and the measurements made digitally. Taurodontism was present in 46.4% of patients in this series with a greater prevalence in females (56% compared to 36% in males, P < 0.001). It was found in 21.7% of all teeth examined, and the prevalence was significantly greater in females (26% for compared with 17.4% in males, P < 0.001). Our results suggest that taurodontism is not sufficiently sensitive to be a marker of genetic disease in Chinese.