An Indian woman has set a world record for having 38 teeth in one person’s mouth – six more than the average adult, according to Guinness World Records.
Kalpana Balan, a 26-year-old mother of one, has four extra mandibular (lower jaw) teeth and two extra maxillary (upper jaw) teeth.
The male record holder is Ivanhoe Malone (Canada), who has 41 teeth.
During adolescence, Kalpana’s countless teeth started growing one by one.
These do not cause her any pain, but they cause a problem when she eats food, as food often gets stuck between them.
Kalpana revealed that when her parents first saw her extra teeth emerging, they were “shocked” and asked her to get them removed.
However, Kalpana’s dentist suggested that she wait until the teeth grew in because they could not be removed easily.
However, even after the teeth had fully grown in, Kalpana decided to keep them because she was afraid of going through the procedure.
After achieving this world record, Kalpana says that she is happy with her decision.
He said, “I am very happy to receive the Guinness World Records title.” “This is my lifetime achievement.”
And Kalpana may be able to increase her record in the future, as she has two more teeth that have not come in yet.
The medical term for the presence of extra teeth is hyperdontia or polydontia. 3.8% of the world’s population has one or more supernumerary teeth.
Hyperdontia is the result of a malfunction in the tooth formation process, although its exact cause is unknown.
Supernumerary teeth are thought to develop from an extra tooth bud arising near a regular tooth bud, or possibly from the rupture of a regular tooth bud.
It also appears to be associated with several hereditary conditions, including Gardner syndrome, Fabry disease, cleidocranial dysostosis, and cleft lip.
