Results after replantation of avulsed permanent teeth. I. Endodontic considerations

Following avulsion and replantation, teeth are at risk for infection and infection related resorption (IRR). Severe discolorations of tooth crowns and cervical root fractures are common. This study presents data on endodontic related complications of avulsed teeth replanted following an extraoral endodontic treatment. Periodontal aspects will be discussed in the second part of the present publication. Twenty-eight permanent teeth in 24 patients aged seven to 17 years were replanted after avulsion. All teeth could be evaluated. In all teeth extraoral endodontic treatment by retrograde insertion of ceramic or titanium posts was performed. Mean observation period was 31.2 months (median: 24.1 months). Nine teeth healed with a functional periodontal ligament (PDL) (functional healing, FH), 19 teeth exhibited replacement resorption (RR), which was succeeded by IRR in three teeth after observation periods of more than 14 months. Diagnosis was set to tunneling resorption (one case) and to cervical resorption preceded by complete RR (two cases). No early IRR was observed. All six teeth rescued in physiologic conditions (cell culture medium of tooth rescue box) exhibited FH. Discolorations of tooth crowns or other complications (cervical root fractures, fractures of posts) were not observed. No differences in the healing results of immature and mature teeth were observed which is in contrast to previous studies. This finding is explained with the different endodontic treatment protocols. Extraoral endodontic treatment by retrograde insertion of posts prevents early IRR and minimizes the overall incidence of IRR. The method does not negatively influence periodontal healing. As there are further advantages (no discoloration, no root fractures, patient not involved, less radiographs, less time consumption, less costs) the method is recommended in isolated teeth before replantation. Especially immature teeth profit from the prevention of complications.