Definition, Rarity, and Epidemiology
- Tooth ankylosis is the fusion between a tooth and underlying bony support tissues.
- It is a rare pathological condition in both deciduous and permanent teeth.
- The prevalence of tooth ankylosis is still unknown.
Risk Factors, Diagnosis, and Causes
- Risk factors for tooth ankylosis include genetic factors and dental trauma.
- Diagnostic methods include clinical examinations, x-rays, and cone beam computerised tomography (CBCT).
- The causes of tooth ankylosis are uncertain, but trauma, inflammation, and infection may contribute.
Signs and Symptoms
- Tooth ankylosis can be recognised clinically by the loss of physiological mobility.
- Radiographic detection may show loss of periodontal ligament space and evidence of replacement resorption.
- Symptoms may vary depending on the growing state of teeth.
- Decreased tooth count is a common symptom of tooth ankylosis.
Treatment and Prevention
- Treatment for tooth ankylosis often involves removing the crown of the affected tooth.
- Early orthodontic interception can help promote the recovery of lost space and tooth eruption.
- Prevention and early intervention are crucial to avoid further progression and complications.
- Interceptive orthodontic treatment has shown positive results in promoting space recovery.
Long-Term Stability and Treatment Options
- Stability of interceptive/corrective orthodontic treatment for tooth ankylosis and Class II mandibular deficiency has been studied.
- Orthosurgical treatment including anchorage from a palatal implant has been used to correct an infraoccluded maxillary first molar.
- The effectiveness of the decoronation technique in the treatment of ankylosis has been evaluated.
- Replantation and avulsion of permanent teeth have been studied, including survival rates and clinical outcomes.
- Classification and diagnostic tools, as well as dental pathology and histological assessments, have been used in the diagnosis of tooth ankylosis.
Tooth ankylosis refers to a fusion between a tooth and underlying bony support tissues. In some species, this is a normal process that occurs during the formation or maintenance of the dentition. By contrast, in humans tooth ankylosis is pathological, whereby a fusion between alveolar bone and the cementum of a tooth occurs.
| Tooth ankylosis | |
|---|---|
| Specialty | Dentistry |
In humans, this is a rare phenomenon in deciduous dentition and even more uncommon in permanent teeth. Ankylosis occurs when partial root resorption is followed by repair with either cementum or dentine that unites the tooth root with the alveolar bone, usually after trauma. However, root resorption does not necessarily lead to tooth ankylosis and the causes of tooth ankylosis remain uncertain to a large extent. However, it is evident that the incident rate of ankylosis in deciduous teeth is much higher than that of permanent teeth.
Risk factors of tooth ankylosis can be generally classified into genetic factors and dental trauma. Diagnostic methods of tooth ankylosis include the use of clinical examinations, x-ray and cone beam computerised tomography (CBCT). Tooth ankylosis could have several symptoms, with decreased tooth count being the most prominent one. Factors like gender and sex may also lead to the incidence of certain signs, yet the full mechanisms have not been well evaluated. In general, the non-growing subjects and growing subjects would exhibit different signs and symptoms.
Individuals suffering from ankylosis of deciduous teeth risk of losing these teeth due to the failure of the tooth eruption during facial growth and would lead to a series of functional and esthetic problems.[citation needed] After diagnosis with clinical examination or CBCT image, tooth ankylosis is often treated by removing the crown of the affected tooth. Early orthodontic interception is also confirmed to be effective in promoting the recovery of the lost space as well as allowing the eruption of the teeth. It is current under the investigation of its probability being used as a prevention of tooth ankylosis.
