Talon cusp in a deciduous upper incisor from a medieval Portuguese child

Abstract

Talon cusp is a rare developmental anomaly in deciduous and permanent dentition. This paper reports a case of talon cusp affecting the deciduous maxillary left incisor from a Portuguese child who died more than 680 years ago. Metric analysis suggests that the affected tooth is a double tooth. The possible co-existence of these two anomalies in the deciduous dentition, although clinically rare, represents the second archaeological case reported. © 2008 The Anthropological Society of Nippon.