Doctors extract 232 teeth from tumour in Indian boy's mouth

Doctors have extracted 232 teeth from the mouth of a 17-year old boy in Mumbai, in what they believe to be a world record, the India Times reports.

Ashik Gavai was brought into hospital in the city with a painful swelling in his mouth after local doctors failed to diagnose the cause.

Dr Sunanda Dhivare, head of the dentistry department at JJ hospital said it was initially unclear what was causing the swelling, so they decided to operate. During the seven-hour surgery, doctors were shocked to uncover that the growth around the molar contained hundreds of teeth.

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Gavai was later diagnosed with a rare condition called complex composite odontoma. "The abnormal growth was a benign tumour", Dr Dhivare told the Indian Express. "A molar tooth in the lower jaw had given birth to hundreds of tiny teeth. There were clusters of tooth buds in his lower jaw."

The doctors involved believe the case sets a world record. "According to medical literature available on the condition, it is known to affect the upper jaw and a maximum of 37 teeth have been extracted from the tumour in the past," Dr Dhivare told the BBC. "But in Ashik's case, the tumour was found deep in the lower jaw and it had hundreds of teeth."

Doctors said they were "thrilled" to be involved in the rare operation and expect Gavai to make a full recovery.