Doctors report rare case of tooth growing in eye socket

Medical professionals have documented a rare case involving a 16-year-old boy in India who developed an ectopic tooth in his superior orbit, or upper eye socket. While ectopic teeth—teeth growing outside the dental arch—have been reported in locations such as the nasal cavity or maxillary sinus, this is the first reported instance of a tooth appearing in the upper eye socket.

The patient initially experienced painless swelling on his left upper eyelid. He later observed two sharp, white projections between his eyelid and eyebrow. Although doctors initially suspected a teratoma, a type of tumor that can contain bone or tooth tissue, a CT scan confirmed the projections were part of a mature canine tooth.

Dr. Meghana Tanwar, a co-author of the case study, stated that the occurrence was a first for the medical community worldwide. Surgeons successfully removed the tooth from the eyelid. Follow-up imaging indicated no further ectopic teeth were present.