Interventions for treating traumatised permanent front teeth that are fused to bone

de Souza RF, Travess H, Newton T, Marchesan MA

Published Online:

January 20, 2010

Sometimes teeth can fuse to the bone of the jaws after trauma, an abnormal healing process called ankylosis. Usually the roots of ankylosed teeth are resorbed and replaced by the surrounding bone; in some individuals, root resorption can lead to the loss of ankylosed teeth. Ankylosed teeth also fail to accompany the normal growth of the jawbones and thus can become gradually displaced if the trauma occurs during childhood.

This review found that there is currently insufficient high level evidence for comparing the effectiveness of different treatment methods for ankylosed front teeth. The authors suggest that further research should aim to provide evidence for the decision about which method is more effective and safer and that future randomised clinical trials designed according to the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Statement (www.consort-statement.org) may provide useful answers.

Abstract (click to read)

Background:

Teeth that have suffered trauma can fuse to the surrounding bone - the process referred to as dental ankylosis. Ankylosed permanent front teeth fail to erupt during facial growth and can become displaced, thus resulting in functional and aesthetic problems. Dental ankylosis is also associated with root resorption, which eventually leads to the loss of affected teeth. Different interventions for the management of ankylosed permanent front teeth have been described but it is unclear which are the most effective.

Objectives:

To assess the effects of treatment options for ankylosed permanent front teeth.

Search strategy:

We searched the following databases: Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register (to September 2009); Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2009, Issue 3); MEDLINE (1950 to September 2009); EMBASE (1980 to September 2009); and LILACS (1980 to September 2009). There were no language restrictions.

Selection criteria:

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing any intervention for treating displaced ankylosed permanent front teeth in individuals of any age.

Data collection and analysis:

Two independent review authors screened studies in duplicate. Although no study was included, the authors had planned to extract data independently and to assess risk of bias following the Cochrane Collaboration methods.

Main results:

The search retrieved 77 references to studies. None matched the inclusion criteria and therefore were excluded.

Authors' conclusions:

There is no evidence from RCTs about the comparative effectiveness of the different treatment options for ankylosed permanent front teeth. The lack of high level evidence for the management of this health problem emphasises the need for well designed clinical trials.

This record should be cited as:

de Souza RF, Travess H, Newton T, Marchesan MA. Interventions for treating traumatised ankylosed permanent front teeth. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 1. Art. No.: CD007820. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007820.pub2

Assessed as up to date:

September 16, 2009

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Primary Review Group:

Oral Health Group

Health topics:

Dentistry & oral health > Oral & maxillofacial surgery > Traumatic injury

Orthopaedics & trauma > Maxillofacial trauma > Traumatic injury

Cochrane Summaries^beta

Independent high-quality evidence for health care decision making

Interventions for treating traumatised permanent front teeth that are fused to bone

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