16 Endo Tribune
United Kingdom Edition
June 2014
Eight-year follow-up of successful
intentional replantation
Authors Dr Muhamad Abu-Hussein; Dr Sarafianou Aspasia; Dr Abdulgani Azzaldeen
•
•
Fig. 1_Pulpal diagnosis: necrosis, narrow periodontal pocket 10mm deep,
Grade I+ mobility.
Fig. 2_A radiograph after six months: same
pocket depth, Grade II mobility, plenty of
exudate.
Fig. 3_Extracted, apex filled with MTA; no
exudate and Grade I+ mobility at the twomonth recall.
and tooth mobility
Multi-rooted teeth with
diverging roots that make
extraction and replantation impossible
Teeth with non-restorable
caries
In order to provide the best
long-term prognosis for a tooth
that is to be replanted intentionally, the tooth must be kept
out of the socket for the shortest period possible, and the extraction of the tooth should be
atraumatic to minimise damage to the cementum and the
PDL.1,7,8 The PDL attached to
the root surface be kept moist
in saline, Hanks’ balanced salt
solution, Viaspan or a doxy-
‘Although the success ratio for intentional replantation is far below that for
routine or surgical endodontics, this
procedure should be considered an alternative to tooth extraction’
teeth immediately to keep
the PDL vital. Consequently,
ankylosis was not seen; however, all teeth showed resorption repaired with cementum.
These results were confirmed
by Deeb in 196514 and Edwards
in 1966.15 In 1968, Sherman16
showed that normal PDL could
be kept vital.
Fig. 4_A radiograph after six weeks showing the healing
periapical lesion.
I
ntentional
replantation
has been practised for
many years as a treatment
modality for pulp-less
teeth. Although the success
ratio for intentional replantation is far below that for routine or surgical endodontics,
this procedure should be considered an alternative to tooth
extraction. A case of mandibular second molars treated with
intentional replantation and
retrograde fillings is reported
in this article. At the eightyear recall visit, radiographs
showed no evidence of pathological changes.
Introduction
Intentional replantation (IR)
is the extraction of a tooth to
perform extra-oral root-canal
therapy, curettage of an apical lesion when present and
its replacement in its socket.1,2
Fig. 5_A radiograph after six months showing no fractures; no widened PDL, Grade I mobility.
Grossman in 19823 defined it as
follows: “A purposeful removal
of a tooth and its reinsertion
into the socket almost immediately after sealing the apical
foramina.” He also stated that
it is “the act of deliberately
removing a tooth and following examination, diagnosis,
endodontic manipulation, and
repair, returning the tooth to
its original socket to correct
an apparent clinical or radiographic endodontic failure”.4
It is a one-stage treatment that
will maintain the natural tooth
aesthetics if successful.5
This method was first reported nearly a thousand years
ago. In the eleventh century
AD, Abulcasis gave the first account of replantation and use of
ligatures to splint the replanted tooth.6 Fauchard, in 1712,7
reported an IR performed 15
minutes after extraction. In
1768, Berdmore reported IR of
mature and immature teeth.8
In 1783, Woofendale reported
IR of diseased teeth.9 In 1778,
Hunter believed that boiling
the extracted tooth prior to
replantation might help to remove the tooth disease.10
In 1890, Scheff11 addressed
the role of the periodontal ligament (PDL) in the prognosis of
replanted teeth. In 1955, Hammer12 described the importance
of leaving an intact PDL on intentionally replanted teeth. He
believed that a healthy PDL is
essential for reattachment and
retention of replanted teeth.
He stated “an average 10 years
life span could be expected
when replantation was accomplished in a technically flawless manner.” In 1961, Loe and
Waerhaug13 tried to replant
Intentional replantation is
specifically indicated:
•
When all other endodontic
non-surgical and surgical
treatments have failed or
are deemed impossible to
perform
•
When the patient is not
able to open his or her
mouth fully, preventing
the performance of nonsurgical or peri-radicular
surgical endodontic procedures
•
In the case of root-canal
obstructions
•
When there are restorative
or perforation root defects
in areas that are not accessible via the usual surgical
approach without excessive loss of root length or
alveolar bone
Contra-indications may include:
•
Long, curved roots
•
Advanced periodontal diseases that have resulted in
poor periodontal support
cycline solution for the entire
time the tooth is outside the
socket.
We have documented three
clinical cases to exemplify the
potential of IR as a viable treatment option in select endodontic cases. The purpose of this
article is to report a case of
successful IR as an alternative
to extraction.13–15,17
Case report
A 48-year-old woman was referred for evaluation and treatment of a painful mandibular
left second molar. The patient
described recent severe throbbing pain associated with the
left second molar area, extending to the left ear, of three
days’ duration. The patient
stated that she had had a cavity in tooth 37 (Fig. 1) and her
dentist had performed rootcanal therapy a few months
before her presentation. Upon
examination, tenderness to
percussion
and
palpation
were noted and sulcus depths
around tooth 37 did not exceed
3mm. Radiographic examination revealed an endodontic
failure associated with a periradicular radiolucency (Fig. 2).
The patient was anaesthetised, and tooth 37 was extracted and received in a sterile
gauze sponge saturated with
United Kingdom Edition
saline solution. The wound
was packed with sterile gauze
and the patient asked to close
her teeth together to immobilise the pack. Resection of both
the mesial and distal roots
was performed by bevelling
the root tip with a #702 bur in
a straight handpiece. Retropreparation of the mesial root
was accomplished using a #1/2
round bur in a contra-angle
handpiece with copious irrigation. An MTA retrograde filling
was placed in the root canals
(Fig. 3). Once the extra-oral
procedure had been completed
the socket was irrigated gently with a normal saline solution to remove the clot and the
tooth was replanted. No splint
was needed.
difficult to predict the outcome
for IR.
Bender and Rossman19 evaluated 31 cases with an overall
success rate of 80.6 per cent
(six recorded failures). Replanted teeth survived from
one day to 22 years. A second
mandibular molar that failed
after three weeks was replanted successfully a second time
with no signs of failure after 46
months of follow-up.
Endo Tribune 17
June 2014
Majorana et al.20 followed
45 cases of dental trauma for
five years, recording complications and responses to treatment. Root resorption was observed in 45 cases (17.24 per
cent). Of these, nine were associated with luxation injury
(20 per cent) and 36 (80 per
cent) with avulsion. The authors identified 30 cases of inflammatory root resorption (18
transient and 12 progressive)
and 15 cases of ankylosis and
osseous replacement.
Aqrabawi18 evaluated two
cases of IR and retrograde
filling of mandibular second
molars. At the five-year recall visit, radiographs showed
no evidence of pathological
changes.
posed a 15-year-old girl to a
severe periodontal defect with
a combination of endodontic,
IR and Emdogain (Straumann)
therapy. At the one-year follow-up, the patient was comfortable and active healing was
evident.
Nuzzolese et al.21 state that
the success rate of IR at five
years reported in the literature
ranges from 70 to 91 per cent.
Demiralp et al.23 evaluated
the clinical and radiographic
results of IR of periodontally
involved teeth after conditioning root surfaces with tetracy-
Al-Hezaimi et al.22 treated
a radicular groove that predis-
à
of
Six weeks later, the patient
was asymptomatic and the replanted tooth was firm in its
socket. At the time, the patient
was advised to proceed with
the final restoration on the replanted molar (Figs. 4–8).
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After one year (Fig. 9), three
years (Fig. 10), four years (Fig.
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the patient attended for evalu-
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‘Six weeks later,
the patient was
asymptomatic
and the replanted
tooth was firm in
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ation and radiographs were
taken of the tooth. The radiographs showed no evidence of
resorption and the patient was
asymptomatic.
Discussion
Intentional replantation is
an accepted endodontic procedure in cases in which
intra-canal and surgical endodontic treatments are not
recommended. Although not
frequently used, IR is a treatment option that dentists
should consider under these
conditions. If the standard
protocols during IR are not
followed, root resorption and
ankylosis may be observed
within one month and one to
two months, respectively.17,18
Most resorptive processes are
diagnosed within the first two
to three years. However, although rare, new resorptive
processes could occur even after five or ten years.17
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page 18
18 Endo Tribune
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DT
United Kingdom Edition
June 2014
page 17
cline hydrochloride. Thirteen
patients (seven women and six
men; age range: 35–52 years)
with 15 periodontally involved
non-salvageable teeth were included in this study. During the
replantation procedure, the
affected teeth were gently extracted and the granulation tissue, calculus, remaining PDL
and necrotic cementum on the
root surfaces were removed.
Tetracycline hydrochloride, at
a concentration of 100mg/ml,
was applied to the root surfaces for five minutes. The teeth
were then replaced in their
sockets and splinted. After six
months, no root resorption or
ankylosis was observed radiographically. Although the period of evaluation was short, the
authors suggest that IR may
be an alternative approach to
extraction in cases in which
advanced periodontal destruction is present and no other
treatment can be considered.
Araujo et al.24 demonstrated
that root resorption, ankylosis
and new attachment formation, among other processes,
characterised healing of a replanted root that had been
extracted and deprived of vital cementoblasts. It was also
demonstrated that Emdogain
therapy, that is, conditioning
with EDTA and placement of
enamel matrix proteins on the
detached root surface, did not
interfere with the healing process.
Peer25 reviewed nine cases
of IR that illustrated the feasibility of the procedure for a
variety of indications. Only one
case of replantation showed
evidence of pathosis, reflected
by root resorption or ankylosis.
His report suggests that IR is a
reliable and predictable procedure, and should be considered more often as a treatment
method to maintain the natural
dentition.
Yu et al.26 reported a case
in which a combined endodontic–periodontic lesion on
a mandibular first molar was
treated by IR and application of hydroxyapatite. Four
months after the surgery, a
porcelain–metal full crown
restoration was completed. At
the 15-month follow-up examination, the tooth was clinically
and radiographically healthy
and functioned well.
Shintani et al.27 performed
an IR of an immature mandibular incisor that had a refractory periapical lesion. The
incisor was extracted and the
periapical lesion was removed
by curettage. The root canal of
the tooth was then rapidly irrigated, and filled with a calcium hydroxide and iodoform
paste, after which the tooth
Fig. 6_Intra-oral photograph showing the clinical situation.
Fig. 8_Gingival recession present, periodontal pocket depths
were 2–3mm around the tooth. There was little bleeding on
probing.
Fig. 7_Closed contacts between teeth.
Fig. 9_A follow-up radiograph after one year.
Fig. 10_A follow-up radiograph after three years.
85.7 per cent, and 71.4 per cent
in second molars. Of the four
maxillary molars, three first
molars and one second molar, one maxillary first molar
failed, resulting in a 66.7 per
cent success rate in first molars.2
Fig. 11_A follow-up radiograph after
four years.
Fig. 12_A follow-up radiograph after
eight years.
was secured with an archwire
splint. Five years later, no clinical or radiographic abnormal-
showed no signs of resorption and ankylosis after six
months.14 Different investiga-
‘In order to be successful with extraction
and replantation cases, the practitioner
must have the right patient and the
right rapport with that patient’
ities were found, and the root
apex was obturated by an apical bridge formation.
Kaufman28 reported successful results of a maxillary
molar tooth treated with IR
after a four-year follow-up period. A mandibular first molar, which was replanted, by
Czonstkowsky and Wallace29
tors reported success rates
varying from 52 to 95 per cent
with follow-ups of between
one to 22 years in posterior
teeth.2,15–17
Bender and Rossmann19 reported a success rate of 77.8
per cent in molars. Among 14
mandibular molars, the success rate in first molars was
Raghoebar and Vissink30 replanted 29 teeth, consisting of
two mandibular first molars,
17 mandibular second molars,
one mandibular third molar
and nine maxillary second molars, and followed them for an
average of 62 months. The success rate was 72 per cent and
25 of them were still in function.18
Conclusion
For extraction and replantation to be successful, the following criteria must be met:
•
Informed consent must be
obtained from the patient.
•
All roots need to be conically shaped.
• The teeth need to be somewhat mobile.
•
A good knowledge of oral
surgery is needed with respect to extraction.
Intentional replantation is
a treatment alternative that
should not be underrated, especially when conventional
endodontic or surgical treatment is not possible. This is
an excellent treatment with a
predictable result. I have performed approximately 30 replantations, and have lost only
one tooth to date.
In order to be successful
with extraction and replantation cases, the practitioner
must have the right patient
and the right rapport with that
patient. The practitioner must
also be able to assess the tooth
and be confident that it can be
extracted without breakage.
Additionally, the practitioner
must be able to recognise tooth
morphologies that may lead to
extraction problems. This is a
skill that is perfected through
experience. Replantation is
a predictable and acceptable
method of treatment in my
office when patients present
with root canals that require
retreatment due to failure or
those that cannot be completed
owing to sclerosing of the canals. DT
Editorial note: A complete list of
references is available from the
publisher.
Contact Info
Dr Muhamad Abu-Hussein
123 Argus St.
10441 Athens
Greece
abuhusseinmuhamad@gmail.com