Doctors removed a mature canine tooth from the eye socket of a 16-year-old boy in an ectopic tooth case thought to be the first of its kind.
The patient presented at the Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai, India having first noticed a painless swelling in the upper left eyelid one month prior.
Examination revealed two hard, white projections which computed tomography scanning identified as a complete canine tooth. The crown-root structure was arising directly from the bone of the orbital eye socket.
Surgeons removed the tooth, which did not show any signs of being part of a teratoma – a rare type of tumour which can contain complete tissues such as teeth, hair and bone. It was therefore diagnosed as an ectopic tooth, whereby an otherwise normal tooth structure grows in the wrong location.
Image credit: Elsevier
Has an ectopic tooth in this location occurred before?
Dr Meghana Tanwar, co-author of the case, told Live Science: ‘To the best of our knowledge this is the first and only ectopic tooth reported in the superior orbit.’
Ectopic teeth most commonly occur the maxillary sinus behind the cheekbone. However, developmental problems or genetic conditions can cause tooth tissue to grow anywhere – even outside of the mouth.
‘This was a first not just for us but the world over,’ Dr Tanwar said. ‘We were very surprised by it.’
Once removed, an ectopic tooth generally does not grow back, though rare cases have been reported. Dr Tanwar said it was very unlikely that the patient would develop another ectopic tooth in his lifetime.
The case was published in Opthalmology in June 2026.
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