External cervical resorption - Treatment outcomes and determinants: a retrospective cohort study with up to 10 years of follow-up

An Evaluation of the Fracture Resistance of Teeth with Simulated External Cervical Resorption Cavities Categorized Using Three-Dimensional Classification

(1) Background: External cervical resorption causes dental hard tissue destruction that may reduce the fracture resistance of affected teeth. By using a compressive strength test, this study aimed to evaluate the fracture resistance of teeth with simulated external cervical resorption cavities that have different three-dimensional classifications. (2) Methods: In total, 170 teeth with simulated external cervical resorptions were divided into 16 experimental groups (n = 10) and 1 control group (n = 10) based on the three-dimensional classification: 1Ap, 1Bp, 1Cp, 1Dp, 2Ap, 2Bp, 2Cp, 2Dp, 3Ap, 3Bp, 3Cp, 3Dp, 4Ap, 4Bp, 4Cp, 4Dp and a control group. Defects were restored with mineral trioxide aggregate. The fracture resistances of the samples were statistically analyzed using two-way repeated ANOVA and the Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons at a significance level of p < 0.05. (3) Results: The lowest resistance to fracture was observed in samples with vertical height level "4" and circumferential spread of "D" (p < 0.001). In the groups with circumferential spreads "B", "C" and "D", there were significant differences between the samples with vertical height levels "1", "2", "3" and "4" regarding fracture resistance (p < 0.001). (4) Conclusions: The circumferential spread and vertical height of the external cervical resorption influenced the fracture resistance of the affected teeth.

Artificial Intelligence for Detection of External Cervical Resorption Using Label-Efficient Self-Supervised Learning Method

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this study was to leverage label-efficient self-supervised learning (SSL) to train a model that can detect ECR and differentiate it from caries.

METHODS

Periapical (PA) radiographs of teeth with ECR defects were collected. Two board-certified endodontists reviewed PA radiographs and cone beam computed tomographic (CBCT) images independently to determine presence of ECR (ground truth). Radiographic data were divided into 3 regions of interest (ROIs): healthy teeth, teeth with ECR, and teeth with caries. Nine contrastive SSL models (SimCLR v2, MoCo v2, BYOL, DINO, NNCLR, SwAV, MSN, Barlow Twins, and SimSiam) were implemented in the assessment alongside 7 baseline deep learning models (ResNet-18, ResNet-50, VGG16, DenseNet, MobileNetV2, ResNeXt-50, and InceptionV3). A 10-fold cross-validation strategy and a hold-out test set were employed for model evaluation. Model performance was assessed via various metrics including classification accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score.

RESULTS

Included were 190 PA radiographs, composed of 470 ROIs. Results from 10-fold cross-validation demonstrated that most SSL models outperformed the transfer learning baseline models, with DINO achieving the highest mean accuracy (85.64 ± 4.56), significantly outperforming 13 other models (P < .05). DINO reached the highest test set (ie, 3 ROIs) accuracy (84.09%) while MoCo v2 exhibited the highest recall and F1-score (77.37% and 82.93%, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

This study showed that AI can assist clinicians in detecting ECR and differentiating it from caries. Additionally, it introduced the application of SSL in detecting ECR, emphasizing that SSL-based models can outperform transfer learning baselines and reduce reliance on large, labeled datasets.

Surgical repair of external cervical resorption - Prognosis and prognostic factors

Background/purpose

External cervical resorption (ECR) is an aggressive form of root resorption, which etiology is unclear and its prognosis remains unpredictable. The purpose of this study was to investigate the prognosis and potential prognostic factors of ECR-affected teeth after surgical intervention for external repair with/without root canal treatment.

Materials and methods

Treated ECR cases from 2009 to 2019 were collected retrospectively. The survival of the teeth and the status of root resorption were assessed during the follow-up period. Potential prognostic factors were analyzed with log-rank test and Kaplan-Meier statistics.

Results

A total of 42 treated ECR-affected teeth were enrolled. The two-year survival rate was 71.20% [54.16%, 93.59%]. Persistent root resorption was the main complication after treatment. Patients with multiple ECR-affected teeth had greater recurrent potential than patients with solitary ECR-affected teeth. Prolonged calcium hydroxide dressing may contribute to a more favorable clinical outcome. Gender, age, tooth position and the need for root canal treatment did not show statistically significant effect on the prognosis.

Conclusion

The current surgical method was able to arrest ECR in most cases. However, the case type (the number of ECR-affected teeth per patient) could highly affect the prognosis of the teeth. Clinicians should consider long-term calcium hydroxide dressing in case of pulp involvement to achieve better results.

Effects of different treatment modalities on biomechanical behavior of maxillary incisors with external invasive cervical resorption at different progression levels

BACKGROUND/AIM

This study aimed to evaluate the biomechanical behavior of maxillary incisors with external invasive cervical resorption (EICR) at different progression levels after receiving different modes of treatment under occlusal forces using finite element analysis (FEA).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Three-dimensional (3D) models of intact maxillary central incisors were constructed and modified to include EICR cavities with different progression levels in the buccal cervical areas. The EICR cavities confined to dentin were repaired using Biodentine™ (Septodont Ltd., Saint Maur des Fausse ́s, France), resin composite, or glass ionomer cement (GIC) . Additionally, EICR cavities with pulp invasion requiring direct pulp capping were simulated as repaired using Biodentine only or 1 mm thick Biodentine and either resin composite or GIC for the rest of the cavity. Moreover, models with root canal treatment and EICR defects repaired using Biodentine, resin composites, or GIC were also generated. A force of 240 N was applied to the incisal edge. The principal stresses in the dentin were evaluated.

RESULTS

GIC showed more favorable results than the other materials in EICR cavities confined to the dentin. However, Biodentine alone resulted in more favorable minimum principal stresses (Pmin ) compared to other materials in EICR cavities with close pulp proximity. Exceptionally, the models localized in the coronal third of the root with a circumferential extension of the cavity >90° showed more favorable results for GIC. The presence of root canal treatment had no significant effect on stress values.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on this FEA study the use of GIC in EICR lesions confined to the dentin is recommended. However, Biodentine may be a better option for restoring EICR lesions close to the pulp with or without root canal treatment. Except when the circumferential extension of the cavity is >90°, the use of GIC may be more advantageous.

Clinical management of external cervical resorption: A systematic review

This review investigated whether any therapeutic options influenced the outcome of treatment for teeth with external cervical resorption. Out of 870 articles identified by an electronic search, 60 clinical case reports and six case series were included. No randomised clinical trials were found. Risk of bias was assessed using Joanna Briggs Institute's tools. External surgical intervention was the preferred method of accessing the lesions. Removal of resorptive tissue was most often achieved mechanically. Bioactive endodontic cements were the preferred materials for restoring teeth. The outcome measures were based on clinical and radiographic parameters. Of the cases included in the review, no specific treatment approach had a superior outcome in relation to Heithersay's classification. Furthermore, due to the absence of randomised clinical trials, and the low level of evidence associated with case reports/case series, it was not possible to define the optimum clinical treatment for external cervical resorption.

The prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors of external cervical resorption: a retrospective practice-based study

OBJECTIVES

External cervical root resorption (ECR) is a poorly understood and aggressive form of resorption. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence, characteristics, and risk factors associated with the occurrence of ECR in patients seeking endodontic care from private practice settings.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Records of 343 patients with 390 teeth diagnosed with ECR were identified from 3 private endodontic practices from 2008 to 2022. The patients' demographic information, systemic conditions, and dental history were recorded. The characteristics of the cases including Heithersay classification, pulpal and periapical status, and their management were documented. The association between case severity and potential predisposing factors was examined using chi-square analysis.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of ECR among patients seeking endodontic care was low (< 1%). However, there was a greater than twofold increase in the pooled prevalence from 2016 to 2021 (0.99%) compared to the data from 2010 to 2015 (0.46%). The most commonly affected teeth were anterior teeth (48.7%). Class II (30.0%) and class III (45.4%) defects were the most often identified. Patients with a history of trauma or orthodontic treatment were significantly more likely to be diagnosed with severe cervical resorption (class III or IV) (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

There has been an increase in the prevalence of ECR in patients seeking endodontic care. A history of orthodontic treatment and traumatic dental mechanical injuries may predict the severity of resorption.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

The upward trend in the occurrence of ECR warrants close monitoring of the patients at high risk of developing the condition to facilitate early detection and management.

IS EXTERNAL CERVICAL RESORPTION AN ESTABLISHED MANIFESTATION OF SYSTEMIC SCLEROSIS? A CASE REPORT

AIM

Scleroderma, or systemic sclerosis, is a multisystem autoimmune disorder characterized by hardening and fibrosis of the skin. To date, only a small number of case reports have established a relationship between scleroderma and external cervical resorption (ECR). The aim of this case report is to document the case of a patient with multiple external cervical resorption lesions, who was referred to our unit.

SUMMARY

A 54-year-old female patient, with a 10-year history of systemic sclerosis diagnosed by her rheumatologist, was referred to our unit regarding extensive ECR. A total of 14 maxillary and mandibular teeth with ECR were detected by clinical examination and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). The characteristic vascularity of resorptive defects with profuse bleeding upon probing was not evident. The patient declined any active treatment owing to the desire to avoid lengthy and unpredictable treatment, which may hasten the loss of her teeth.

CONCLUSIONS

General practitioners should be aware of the relationship between connective tissue disorders and ECR. Although not well established in the literature, the vascular changes implicated in scleroderma may stimulate the odontoclastic processes involved in ECR.

External Cervical Resorption: Relationships Between Classification, Treatment, and One-Year Outcome with Evaluation of the Heithersay and Patel Classification Systems

INTRO

The purpose of this study was to identify possible associations between classification, treatment, and one-year outcome of external cervical resorption (ECR) lesions using the Heithersay and Patel systems. Performance of the Patel 3-dimensional classification system was also evaluated.

METHODS

A chart review identified 142 cases of ECR over a twelve-year period. Information regarding demographics, predisposing factors, lesion classification, treatment, and outcomes were collected and analyzed. Inter- and intra-observer reliability analyses were conducted for both classification systems.

RESULTS

There were 72 cases with at least one year of follow up. 70% of these cases survived. Treatment recommendations were correlated with both Heithersay and Patel classification. There were no correlations found between one-year outcome and either classification or treatment done. The weighted reliability analysis showed substantial agreement in both classification systems for both inter- and intra-observer agreement. There was a significant association between the two systems, however the Heithersay system tended to underestimate the apical extent of the lesion.

CONCLUSIONS

Periodic review of ECR lesions presents as a viable treatment option, at least for one year after diagnosis. The Patel 3-D classification system is at least as effective as the Heithersay system and should be used in future ECR prognosis studies. Further long-term outcome assessments are still needed.

PROBE 2023 guidelines for reporting observational studies in endodontics: Explanation and elaboration

Observational studies play a critical role in evaluating the prevalence and incidence of conditions or diseases in populations as well as in defining the benefits and potential hazards of health-related interventions. There are currently no reporting guidelines for observational studies in the field of Endodontics. The Preferred Reporting Items for study Designs in Endodontology (PRIDE) team has developed and published new reporting guidelines for observational-based studies called the 'Preferred Reporting items for OBservational studies in Endodontics (PROBE) 2023' guidelines. The PROBE 2023 guidelines were developed exclusively for the speciality of Endodontics by integrating and adapting the 'STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology (STROBE)' checklist and the 'Clinical and Laboratory Images in Publications (CLIP)' principles. The recommendations of the Guidance for Developers of Health Research Reporting Guidelines were adhered to throughout the process of developing the guidelines. The purpose of this document is to serve as a guide for authors by providing an explanation for each of the items in the PROBE 2023 checklist along with relevant examples from the literature. The document also offers advice to authors on how they can address each item in their manuscript before submission to a journal. The PROBE 2023 checklist is freely accessible and downloadable from the PRIDE website (http://pride-endodonticguidelines.org/probe/).