Repair of untreated horizontal root fractures: two case reports

Conservative management of a horizontal root fracture in a primary maxillary central incisor: Case report

Dental trauma occurs frequently in toddlers and the treatment protocols vary depending on each case. Thus, clinicians must not only plan the treatment but also consider any possible sequelae and characteristics related to the child and the family. The aim of this paper was to report a case of a three-year-old boy who had a horizontal root fracture in the middle third of the primary maxillary right incisor root (tooth 51) and crown discoloration of the primary maxillary left incisor (tooth 61) which were successfully treated with conservative management. The management was established in agreement with the family and was based on active surveillance. The clinical and radiographic follow-ups showed no changes besides pulp canal calcification of the left incisor throughout the eight years of follow-up. The pulps remained normal with no pathological signs throughout their life cycle and the permanent successors erupted normally, presenting an excellent result of the non-invasive approach adopted.

Conservative Management of Displaced Horizontal Root Fracture in Vital Maxillary Premolar: a Case Report

Background/Aim: The management of horizontal root fracture is not straight forward. It depends upon the location of the fracture, mobility and vitality of fractured tooth segment. The goal of treatment is to restore the shape and function of affected tooth.

Case report: This following case report described the conservative management of horizontal root fracture which was also displaced but somehow maintained its vitality. The affected tooth was initially stabilized and followed up in the subsequent appointments for evaluation of vitality that turned out to be vital, thus, preventing any unnecessary intervention.

Conclusions: Horizontal root fractures in the vital teeth should be initially managed conservatively and every effort should be made to preserve the vitality of tooth.

Use of high resolution computed tomography to diagnose ante-mortem dental root fractures in archaeological samples

Dental root fractures are rarely documented in past human populations, but when they are observed, diagnosing ante-mortem events as causal factors can be difficult due to postmortem alteration. Can high resolution X-ray computed tomography (CT) improve our ability to diagnose if a dental fracture was caused ante- or post-mortem? To test this, a case study of two individuals with previously diagnosed dental root fractures were re-examined with high resolution CT to confirm or refute the original diagnoses. For individual 4170, use of high resolution CT supported the original diagnosis of an ante-mortem root fracture on the right mandibular central incisor that was made based on planar X-ray. With the new analyses, the root fracture was found to be associated with evidence of calcification, and with radicular and alveolar bone resorption, which are positive correlates of an ante-mortem origin. Resolving this level of detail of bone modification was not possible without using high resolution CT. For individual 4172, the use of high resolution CT enabled visualisation of fracturing and cracking throughout several molars and crowns of other teeth that were not evident in planar X-ray, suggesting that these fractures were likely produced by post-mortem taphonomic processes rather than ante-mortem events as originally diagnosed. In this case study, high resolution CT offered critical advantages compared to a planar X-ray approach, such as using 3D multiple slice views without superimposing alveolar bone and teeth as in planar X-ray imaging. This study demonstrates the potential of high resolution CT in confirming and refuting ante-mortem processes, and that visualisation of 3D structures is crucial for arriving at definitive diagnoses.

Maintenance of Pulp after Horizontal Root Fractures in Three Maxillary Incisors: A Thirteen-Year Evaluation

This case report documents the clinical approach adopted for three upper incisors with horizontal root fracture in the middle or cervical third. The proposed procedures involved maintaining pulp vitality and periodontal stability of the fractured teeth with 13 years of follow-up.

Evidence of fatal skeletal injuries on Malapa Hominins 1 and 2

Malapa is one of the richest early hominin sites in Africa and the discovery site of the hominin species, Australopithecus sediba. The holotype and paratype (Malapa Hominin 1 and 2, or MH1 and MH2, respectively) skeletons are among the most complete in the early hominin record. Dating to approximately two million years BP, MH1 and MH2 are hypothesized to have fallen into a natural pit trap. All fractures evident on MH1 and MH2 skeletons were evaluated and separated based on wet and dry bone fracture morphology/characteristics. Most observed fractures are post-depositional, but those in the right upper limb of the adult hominin strongly indicate active resistance to an impact, while those in the juvenile hominin mandible are consistent with a blow to the face. The presence of skeletal trauma independently supports the falling hypothesis and supplies the first evidence for the manner of death of an australopith in the fossil record that is not attributed to predation or natural death.

Multidisciplinary approach for the treatment of horizontal root-fractured maxillary anterior teeth

Dental trauma can lead to a wide range of injuries of which crown and root fractures are examples. Crown-root fractures often need complex treatment planning. This case report describes the use of MTA in the multidisciplinary management of a patient with a horizontally fractured central incisor and luxation in a different central incisor. A 42-year-old female patient presented within 1 h of receiving direct trauma to her maxillary area. Clinical examination revealed that the right and left maxillary central incisors presented mobility and sensitivity to percussion and palpation but no sensitivity to thermal stimulations. Occlusal displacement with extrusion in the left maxillary central incisor and luxation in the right maxillary central incisor was observed. Radiographic examination revealed horizontal root fracture at the apical third of the left maxillary central incisor. Root fracture in the right maxillary incisor was not observed. Endodontic and aesthetic restorative treatments were completed. MTA showed a good long-term outcome when used in root-fractured and luxated teeth. In addition, composite resin restoration provided satisfactory aesthetic results even after 15 months.

Multidisciplinary treatment approach to restore deep horizontally fractured maxillary central incisor

This case report demonstrates sequential periodontic, orthodontic and prosthodontic treatment modalities to save and restore deep horizontally fractured maxillary central incisor. The location of fracture was deep in the mucosa which reveals less than 2 mm of tooth structure to receive the crown. The procedures like surgical crown lengthening, endodontic post placement, orthodontic forced eruption, core build-up and metal-ceramic crown restoration were sequentially performed to conserve the fractured tooth. Forced eruption is preferred to surgical removal of supporting alveolar bone, since forced eruption preserves the biologic width, maintains esthetics, and at the same time exposes sound tooth structure for the placement of restorative margins.

Radiographic detection of artificially created horizontal root fracture using different cone beam CT units with small fields of view

OBJECTIVES

To compare limited cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT) units with different field of views (FOVs) and voxel sizes in detecting artificially created horizontal root fracture (HRF) in extracted human teeth.

METHODS

Artificial HRF was created in the horizontal plane in 40 teeth. Another 40 intact teeth served as a control group. 80 teeth were placed in the respective maxillary anterior sockets of a human dry skull in groups. Six image sets were obtained: (1) Accuitomo 170, 40 × 40 mm FOV (0.080 mm(3)); (2) Accuitomo 170, 60 × 60 mm FOV (0.125 mm(3)); (3) Kodak 9000, 50 × 37 mm FOV (0.076 mm(3)); (4) Kodak 9000, 50 × 37 mm FOV (0.100 mm(3)); (5) Vatech Pax-Duo3D 50 × 50 mm FOV (0.080 mm(3)) and (6) Vatech Pax-Duo3D 85 × 85 mm FOV (0.120 mm(3)). Images were evaluated twice by five observers. Kappa values were calculated for observer agreement. Areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (Az values) were calculated, and the Az values for each image type were compared using t-tests (α = 0.05).

RESULTS

Intraobserver kappa coefficients ranged from 0.81 to 0.95 for the Accuitomo 170 images, from 0.80 to 0.92 for the Kodak 9000 images and from 0.76 to 0.95 for Vatech PanX-Duo3D. The Az values for different image types and observers ranged from 0.93 to 0.97 for Accuitomo 170 images, from 0.93 to 0.98 for Kodak 9000 images and from 0.93 to 0.97 for the Vatech PanX-Duo3D images. No statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) were found between the Az values.

CONCLUSIONS

Limited CBCT units performed similarly in detecting simulated HRF.

Effectiveness of limited cone-beam computed tomography in the detection of horizontal root fracture

To compare the diagnostic accuracy of conventional film radiography, charge coupled device (CCD) and photostimulable phosphor plate (PSP) digital images and limited cone-beam computed tomography in detecting simulated horizontal root fracture. Root fractures were created in the horizontal plane in 18 teeth by a mechanical force and fragments were relocated. Another 18 intact teeth with no horizontal root fracture served as a control group. Thirty-six teeth were placed in the respective empty maxillary anterior sockets of a human dry skull in groups three by three. Intraoral radiographs were obtained in three different vertical views by utilizing Eastman Kodak E-speed film, CCD sensor, RVG 5.0 Trophy and a PSP sensor Digora, Optime. Cone beam CT images were taken with a unit (3D Accuitomo; J Morita MFG. Corp, Kyoto, Japan). Three dental radiologists separately examined the intraoral film, PSP, CCD and cone beam CT images for the presence of horizontal root fracture. Specificity and sensitivity for each radiographic technique were calculated. Kappa statistics was used for assessing the agreement between observers. Chi-square statistics was used to determine whether there were differences between the systems. Results were considered significant at P < 0.05. Cone beam CT images revealed significantly higher sensitivities (P < 0.05) than the intraoral systems between which no significant differences were found. Specificities did not show any statistically significant differences between any of the four systems. The kappa values for inter-observer agreement between observers (four pairs) ranged between 0.82-0.90 for the 3DX evaluations and between 0.63-0.71 for the different types of intraoral images. Limited cone beam CT, outperformed the two-dimensional intraoral, conventional as well as digital, radiographic methods in detecting simulated horizontal root fracture.

Treatment of horizontal root fracture: a case report

Radicular fractures in permanent teeth are uncommon injuries among dental traumas, being only 0.5-7% of the cases. Traumatic dental injuries occur more frequently in young patients, and vary in severity from enamel fractures to avulsions.

The magnitude of these problems is confirmed by statistical data on the prevalence of dental trauma during childhood and adolescence.

Fracture occurs often in the middle-third of the root and rarely at the apical-third. The present paper reports a clinical case of a horizontal radicular fracture located between the middle- and apical-third of a upper left-central incisors followed-up over 4 years.

Root fracture in immature tooth: report of a case

Root fracture injuries affect 0.5-7% of permanent teeth. Although this type of injury is rarely seen in teeth with immature root formation, the prognosis is generally good depending on the site of the fracture. A case report of horizontal root fracture in maxillary central incisor of an 8-year and 3-month-old girl and its treatment was presented.

Spontaneously healed horizontal root fracture in maxillary first premolar: report of a case

Root fractures of the posterior teeth are rare and occur as a result of severe trauma. This study describes the horizontal root fracture of a maxillary first premolar. The fractured roots were discovered during a routine radiographic examination. The tooth was asymptomatic and responded positively to electric pulp testing. The patient reported accidental trauma, which occurred 14 years before. Our case is an example of spontaneously healed fractured roots. The interesting findings were that the healing was observed even in the presence of two roots, including preservation of the vitality of the pulp.

Root fracture of immature permanent incisors - a case report

This 7-year-old girl experienced pain in her upper central incisors following a fall to the ground. Radiographic examination revealed immature upper central incisors with mid-root oblique and horizontal root fractures. Splinting was performed. When at 3 months, an electric pulp test was positive for both injured teeth, and after 5 months, the fracture lines had disappeared on the radiographs, the splint removed. After 2 years, clinical examination showed normal tooth color and position, with a positive response to the pulp test. Radiographs demonstrated continuous root development, although root canal narrowing was noted at the healed fracture sites.

Orthodontic movement of a horizontally fractured tooth: a case report

Intra-alveolar root fractures are relatively uncommon, and sometimes may be healed without treatment. Diagnosis of intra-alveolar root fracture is frequently made by exclusion of clinical signs of other traumatic injury, and by radiographic examination with films taken at different tube angulations. This case report presents a horizontal root fractured tooth that was healed satisfactory without treatment and moved orthodontically after prolonged time from trauma.

Post-traumatic use of dental implants to rehabilitate anterior maxillary teeth

The treatment sequel of post-traumatic teeth for the use of dental implants in the anterior maxillary region to rehabilitate anterior maxillary missing teeth was evaluated. Files of 53 healthy patients reporting anterior dental trauma were reviewed. All patients had an anterior maxillary dental implant because of tooth loss after trauma. At initial examination, 18 patients (34%) had root canal treatment and an inflammatory lesion, 15 (28.3%) had a missing tooth on admission, 12 (22.6%) had a prior operation (i.e. root-end surgery or crown lengthening), 4 (7.5%) presented an ankylotic root, and 4 (7.5%) had a root remnant not suitable for rehabilitation, with no inflammatory periapical lesion. Treatment sequences and complications were recorded. Augmentation procedure (i.e. onlay bone graft or guided bone regeneration) was performed in 43 patients (81.1%), and 2 patients (3.8%) had orthodontic extrusion prior to tooth extraction and implantation. Implants were placed immediately in 25 patients (47.2%) and 4 (7.5%) had immediate loading at the time of implantation. Complications and postoperative incidents (fistula, inflammation, swelling hematoma, etc.) were observed in 24 patients (45.3%). There was no difference in complication and postoperative incident rates with regards to the implantation technique. Complications were found at the prosthetic phase in seven patients (13.2%; six fistula and one implant failure). When patients were divided into two groups, with and without an inflammatory lesion, a significantly lower complication and postoperative incident rate were found in the non-inflammatory group (P = 0.057). This study reaffirmed the necessity for scrupulous diagnosis of teeth and alveolar bone after a traumatic injury. Treatment is multidisciplinary, requiring surgical, orthodontic, endodontic, operative, and prosthetic compliance. A specially designed treatment plan for each patient is necessary. General rules do not apply.

Treatment Options of Untreatable Traumatized Anterior Maxillary Teeth for Future Use of Dental Implantation

The anterior maxilla is the most traumatized region during childhood. Posttraumatic complications occasionally lead to tooth loss as well as the need for future implants. Unfortunately, it is contraindicated to place dental implants during childhood. A waiting period of approximately 8 to 10 years before completion of growth is required. For this patient to become a candidate for future dental implants, it is necessary to ensure the continuous growth and to preserve the dimensions of the alveolar process until growth has ceased from time of injury until joint maturation. To achieve these goals, it is essential to coordinate the treatment sequence at the time of trauma. After loss of a traumatized anterior permanent maxillary incisor in young adults, treatment options are limited: orthodontic closure of the gap and reshaping the adjacent teeth, or tooth extraction and maintaining the gap with a temporary restoration. Orthdontic space closure has limited indications and requires prosthetic restoration of at least 2 teeth. Extraction and temporary restoration will usually lead to bone augmentation before implantation. Other possible treatment options include orthodontic extrusion of the root remnant (in cases of untreatable root fracture or complicated crown-root fracture) and a temporary crown to serve the patient until the completion of growth and development, autogenous tooth transplantation, intentional extraction and immediate tooth replantation, distraction osteogenesis, and decoronation. Because general rules do not apply, individual treatment plans are necessary.

Repair of untreated horizontal root fracture: a case report

We report a clinical case of horizontal root fracture in the mandibular first premolar induced by a traffic accident. The fractured tooth spontaneously healed and diagnosed radiographically after 2 years. Fractured fragments were separated by a narrow radiolucent line and the edges were rounded, and healing of the tooth is likely to be related to interproximal connective tissue healing. Our case is an example of spontaneously healed fracture roots. An interesting finding is that the healing was observed even in the presence of two root canals, the vitality of the pulp was preserved and displacement of fragments were prevented.

Spontaneously healed root fracture: report of a case

Blows to the facial region can cause root fractures especially in anterior teeth. Fractures below the alveolar crest have a very high potential for healing and treatment consists of reduction and rigid splinting immediately after trauma. The aim of the treatment is to obtain reunion of the fragments. Although the fracture can heal spontaneously, the prognosis will not be as good as the correctly treated ones. The purpose of this paper is to report a case of spontaneously healed root fracture.