American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

Delayed tooth eruption is characterized by a significant delay in the appearance of teeth in the mouth compared to the average timing for eruption. This condition can often be caused by a physical obstruction, which may prevent the tooth from properly breaking through the gum tissue. Factors contributing to this could include various issues such as the presence of supernumerary teeth, cysts, or other forms of dental impaction that block the normal path of eruption.

While options related to genetic variability, natural aging, and increased eruption speed may affect tooth development or timing in a broader sense, they do not specifically define the mechanism behind delayed tooth eruption. Genetic variability might influence eruption timing in general, but it wouldn't directly describe the pathological condition of delayed eruption itself. Similarly, the natural aging process is more associated with the overall lifecycle of teeth rather than identifying the specifics of delayed eruption. Increased eruption speed is the opposite of what is being defined in this context. Hence, the presence of a physical obstruction directly aligns with the clinical understanding of what causes delayed tooth eruption.