Malpositioned canine treatment with autotransplantation and laser

Autotransplantation of a completely developed impacted maxillary canine: A 7-year follow-up case report

BACKGROUND

Impacted maxillary canines are likely to be extracted in adult patients once orthodontic treatment is ruled out. The missing teeth are generally replaced with dental implants.

CASE DESCRIPTION

The authors report the clinical case of a 45-year-old man who was missing the maxillary left canine for 30 years. Radiographic examination revealed that the maxillary permanent left canine was palatally impacted. The tooth was transplanted into the prepared socket on the missing tooth site and secured in the desired position with a flexible wire splint. During the 7-year follow-up, the tooth remained clinically sound with no radiographic manifestation of inflammatory or root resorption.

PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS

The prognosis for the transplanted tooth was favorable after long-term follow-up observation. This result suggests that autotransplantation of impacted maxillary canines can be a viable treatment option for some adult patients who expect to retain their natural teeth.

Effect of Orthodontic Treatment on Tooth Autotransplantation: Systematic Review of Controlled Clinical Trials

This systematic review was focused on evaluating tooth autotransplantation, considering its impacts on the teeth, bone, soft tissues, and aesthetics in orthodontic patients. A bibliographic search was conducted without limitations on year of publication or language in the databases of PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Medline Complete, Cochrane, Clinical Trials, and Trials Central. For triage of articles, indications, surgical planning, orthodontic movement, risk factors for treatment, and long-term follow-ups were considered. For outcomes, the results with reference to teeth, alveolar bone, periodontal tissues, and esthetic satisfaction were considered. Risk of bias was evaluated using the methodological index for nonrandomized studies-MINORS. The results showed 10 controlled clinical trials, and no randomized clinical trials were found. The selected studies included 715 patients and 934 autotransplanted teeth among which there were premolars, molars, and anterior teeth evaluated in the long term, indicating that orthodontics associated with autotransplantation indicated a result that was generally clinically acceptable. The quality of the set of evidence was considered medium due to the presence of different methodological problems, risk of bias, and significant heterogeneity in the evaluated studies. There was a sufficient body of evidence that justified autotransplantation in patients who needed orthodontic movement. In teeth, there was an increase in root resorption influenced by orthodontics, but without impacting on the general clinical result in the long term. Bone and periodontal tissue do not appear to be affected by orthodontics. The patient’s aesthetic satisfaction was not considered in the studies.