Primary tooth autotransplantation: update and retrospective clinical study

OBJECTIVE

A new technique of primary tooth autotransplantation has recently been published demonstrating reliable replacement of missing permanent incisors in young children due to trauma or agenesis. This retrospective clinical study reports on the longterm success of this new technique in a larger patient group regarding its potential to support bone and soft tissue growth.

STUDY DESIGN

40 children (age range: 2.7-17.6 years) received 53 primary tooth autotransplants (49 canines and 4 incisors) due to traumatic tooth loss (73%), agenesis (19%) or dysplasia/displacement (8%). Clinical and radiological follow-up examinations were performed to check up on root resorption, bone and soft tissue growth, survival and success.

RESULTS

22 transplants still present in the oral cavity of 18 patients yielded a success rate of 77%. The Kaplan-Meier estimator measured a median survival time of 86 months (7.2 years) for all 53 grafts. In all cases, increasing soft tissue and bone development enabled a successful prosthetic rehabilitation regarding aesthetics and function.

CONCLUSIONS

Primary tooth autotransplantation reliably restores edentulous anterior space in children experiencing traumatic tooth loss or agenesis and acts as an immediate therapy before other therapies such as premolar transplantation or orthodontic space closure can be carried out at a later time. It guarantees the co-development of soft tissue and bone in the teenage jaw which is associated with high patient satisfaction and acceptance of this method.

Replantation of a displaced incisor in a boy with a cleft lip and alveolus: a case report

BACKGROUND

Tooth replantation after traumatic avulsion or transplantation is a challenge in oral surgery. A special method named auto-alloplastic replantation, in which a titanium post is used after extraoral endodontic treatment, combines several advantages. The treatment is performed in one step with no further endodontic intervention, no wide root canal instrumentation, no recontamination, and reduced endodontic infection. This is the first report on replantation of an ectopic tooth in a patient with a cleft lip and alveolus using this method.

CASE PRESENTATION

This case report presents the treatment of a 13-year-old white boy with a cleft lip and alveolus who had an ectopic incisor in the cleft region. His rehabilitation was performed by a tooth transposition using the auto-alloplastic replantation technique. After preparation of the displaced incisor from the vestibule, extraoral endodontic treatment followed using a titanium post prior to replantation in a newly formed socket. In the follow-up, the tooth is still in place and functioning after 2 years.

CONCLUSIONS

This method can be used to bridge the years while a patient is young and jaw growth is incomplete until bone augmentation and implantation can be performed. The tooth will preserve the remaining alveolar ridge and help the adolescent psychologically.

Disruptions of the pulp-dentin complex in an investigated case of pink secondary retained molar

A pink retained left mandibular first molar without carious lesions was diagnosed in a healthy 12-year-old girl presenting normal clinical tests. An orthopantomogram failed to detect other retained teeth. Both periapical radiography and computed tomography showed the absence of a periodontal ligament space in the bifurcation area and the presence of radiolucency or calcifications in the pulp cavity. The coronal part of the removed tooth was subjected to histological and immunohistochemical analysis using anti-PCNA (proliferation marker) and anti-p53 (apoptosis marker) antibodies. Root surfaces were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The pink color of the molar reflected the extension of resorptive tissue into the clinical crown and the underlining proliferation of pulp vessels. Ankylosis observed in the bifurcation area was also detected in the coronal part of the pulp. Whereas odontoblasts secreted tertiary dentin despite no evidence for a carious lesion, only osteocytes in the newly formed bone were apoptotic and the root surfaces were free of resorption lacunae. The etiopathology of the lesion in this case indicated a pulp origin, suggesting that new therapies targeting this tissue should be developed.