Periodontal status of anterior teeth following clinical crown lengthening by minimally traumatic controlled surgical extrusion.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The number of fractured anterior teeth following trauma has been increasing while not every patient is able to afford a dental implant instead of maintaining the injured tooth. Thus, a tooth conservation solution is required to place an aesthetic and functional restoration without biologic width violation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of minimally traumatic controlled surgical extrusion in fractured anterior teeth crown lengthening by assessing the periodontal status through clinical examination and radiographs.

METHODS: This longitudinal observational study investigated a group of 18 patients (six males and 12 females) at the Department of Periodontology, National Hospital of Odonto-stomatology, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Following pre-surgery procedures and examination, minimally traumatic controlled surgical extrusion was carried out using a periotome. Patients were examined at four follow-up appointments after 1 week, 1, 3 and 6 months to record the following experimental variables: periodontal parameters including the gingival index (GI), pocket depth (PD), bleeding on probing (BOP), mobility, marginal gingiva position, alveolar ridge resorption, periapical osteogenesis, tooth resorption and ankylosis.

RESULTS: All periodontal parameters were significantly decreased at 3 and 6 months post-procedure (P < 0.001). Tooth mobility decreased gradually following surgery, and at 6 months, all teeth became normal at level 0. Periapical osteogenesis changes were significantly increased at 1, 3 and 6 months in comparison with pre-surgery (P < 0.001). Marginal gingiva position and alveolar ridge resorption were not significantly different between pre-surgery and 1, 3 and 6 months post-surgery. No cases of root resorption or ankylosis were observed at 6 months post-surgery.

CONCLUSION: A minimally traumatic controlled surgical extrusion technique for clinical crown lengthening yielded highly successful results in both aesthetic and functional aspects, and no cases had unfavourable outcomes during the 6-month follow-up period.