Reperfusion of autotransplanted teeth--comparison of clinical measurements by means of dental magnetic resonance imaging.
OBJECTIVE
Dental magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) with administration of contrast material is one method of assessing pulpal perfusion. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the level of contrast enhancement displayed by means of dMRI after transplantation of teeth and to compare these findings with the results of tooth mobility, pocket depth, cold, and electrical tests.


METHODS
Twenty-three teeth with either complete root formation or incomplete root formation (IRF) were investigated by using dMRI and were clinically examined at intervals of 2, 4, 8, and 12 weeks, as well as 6 months and 12 months after transplantation.


RESULTS
An analysis of the enhancement in the dental images revealed a significant difference between teeth with IRF and teeth with complete root formation. In addition, the time to occurrence of a positive reaction to the cold test was significantly longer for teeth with IRF.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings of this study indicate that transplanted IRF teeth are associated with reperfusion seen by means of dMRI as well as with delayed occurrence of a positive cold test.
Ploder
O
O
Clinic for Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, General Hospital, University of Vienna Medical School, Austria. olivier.ploder@univie.ac.at
Partik
B
B
Rand
T
T
Fock
N
N
Voracek
M
M
Undt
G
G
Baumann
A
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003080:Cold Temperature; D003287:Contrast Media; D003782:Dental Pulp / Q000098:blood supply / Q000502:physiology; D003791:Dental Pulp Test; D004568:Electrodiagnosis; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009805:Odontogenesis / Q000502:physiology; D010485:Periapical Periodontitis / Q000601:surgery; D010514:Periodontal Pocket / Q000145:classification; D015424:Reperfusion; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014070:Tooth / Q000637:transplantation*; D014086:Tooth Mobility / Q000145:classification; D014092:Tooth Root / Q000502:physiology; D014097:Tooth, Unerupted; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
D003287:Contrast Media