A winning smile: Malaysian man shows off record-setting 42 teeth in viral TikTok video

What do polar bears, adult wolves and a record-setting Malaysian man have in common? The answer is on the tip of your tongue: it is 42 teeth.

With 10 more teeth than the average person, engineer Prathab Muniandy was crowned the Guinness World Records title holder in 2023 for having the most teeth in a man’s mouth.

The 33-year-old has been turning heads with a viral TikTok video of his extra-toothy smile, which was posted on the Guinness World Records page on March 5. It has garnered more than 581,000 views and 19,000 likes since then.

In the video, a person wearing gloves can be seen using a periodontal probe to count Mr Prathab’s teeth.

Where the average person has one row of teeth, Mr Prathab has a couple more hidden behind, as seen in the “tour” of his mouth.

Commenting on the video, one netizen with the handle Naomi could only manage: “What in the world...”

Another wrote: “All of his teeth look so clean and neat too!”

In an interview with Guinness World Records published on its website on March 5, Mr Prathab said he first noticed that he had this unique trait during a family gathering in 2021.

“We counted them together and found that I had 38 teeth at the time. A dental X-ray later showed that there were four more teeth that had yet to erupt,” he said.

When he got his record verified in 2023 after examinations by two dentists, he had 42 teeth.

Most people do not notice his extra teeth until he points them out, Mr Prathab said, adding that people are “usually very surprised and initially find it hard to believe”.

On holding a world record, he said: “It feels amazing and quite special to know that I hold a world record for having the most teeth.

“I would like to acknowledge my supportive dentists for going the extra mile in taking care of my oral hygiene.”

Indian national Kalpana Balan currently holds the world record for the woman with the most teeth in her mouth with a total of 38.