A swelling on the eyelid that hadn’t gone away for months, then two small white tips sprouting from the skin above the eye. Behind those symptoms was a tooth: a fully formed canine, grown in the socket of a 16-year-old boy in India. The case, described in the scientific journal Ophthalmologyis presented by the authors as the first documented ectopic tooth in the upper part of the orbit.
The swelling and the two white tips
The young man presented to Aravind Eye Hospital with a painless swelling on his left upper eyelid, which had appeared several months ago. About a month before the visit, two white, sharp protrusions had emerged from the skin between the eyelid and the eyebrow. Vision was not significantly impaired.
The CT scan and the surgery
The CT scan clarified the origin of the problem, which clearly showed the outline of a single tooth in the upper part of the orbit. The surgeons removed it: it was a mature canine. The tests did not reveal any other teeth out of place or any elements that suggested a teratoma, a type of tumor that can contain different tissues, including teeth.
What is an ectopic tooth and why the case is rare
We speak of an ectopic tooth when a tooth develops in a location other than the natural one. Cases in the nasal cavity, maxillary sinus, floor of the orbit and chin are described in the literature. According to the authors of the study, including ophthalmologist Meghana Tanwar of the Aravind Eye Hospital, a tooth in the upper part of the orbit, above the eye, had never been reported.
The study was published online in January 2026 and in recent weeks the case has been picked up by the international press.