Influence of abutment tooth position and adhesive point dimension on the rigidity of a dental trauma wire-composite splint.
OBJECTIVE
The influence of abutment tooth position and adhesive point dimension on rigidity of wire-composite splints, used in dental trauma, was evaluated in vitro.


METHODS
A commercial artificial resin model was used. The central incisors served as injured teeth with increased mobility (degrees of loosening II tooth 21 and III tooth 11), whereas teeth 12/22 or teeth 13/23 served as non-injured teeth with physiological mobility. Horizontal and vertical tooth mobility before and after splinting was assessed, using a universal testing machine. Teeth were splinted with a wire-composite splint (0.8 mm). Four groups were assigned with respective abutment tooth position and adhesive point dimension: group 1 (13-11-21-23, 2 × 2 mm(2) ), group 2 (12-11-21-22, 2 × 2 mm(2) ), group 3 (12-11-21-22, 3 × 3 mm(2) ), group 4 (12-11-21-22, 4 × 4 mm(2) ).


RESULTS
For each group, tooth mobility after splinting was significantly higher than the physiological tooth mobility (P < 0.05). For teeth 11 and 12, no significant differences between Group 1 and 2 (P > 0.05) were found in tooth mobility after splinting. Significant differences were found in horizontal tooth mobility after splinting of tooth 11 between Group 2 and 3, Group 2 and 4 and Group 3 and 4, respectively (P < 0.05), whereas significant difference was found in vertical dimension for tooth 11 only between Group 2 and 4 (P < 0.05). Significant differences were found in horizontal mobility of tooth 21 between Group 2 and 3, and Group 2 and 4 (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Splinting the injured teeth 11 and 21 and the bilateral uninjured abutment teeth (teeth 12/22 or teeth 13/23) with the stainless steel wire-composite splint (0.8 mm), can be considered flexible splinting. While mobility was still higher than in unaffected teeth, increase in size of the adhesive splinting point decreased horizontal but not vertical mobility in most cases.
Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Stomatology, Ninth People's Hospital, Medical College, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
Yuqing
Y
Zhu
Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Stomatology, Ninth People's Hospital, Medical College, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
Hui
H
Chen
National Tissue Engineering Center of China, Shanghai, China.|School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China.
Lian
L
Cen
Department of Pediatric Dentistry, School of Stomatology, Ninth People's Hospital, Medical College, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai, China.
Jun
J
Wang
D003188:Composite Resins; D003738:Dental Cements; D006801:Humans; D009969:Orthodontic Wires; D010516:Periodontal Splints; D014086:Tooth Mobility
D003188:Composite Resins; D003738:Dental Cements
abutment location; adhesive point dimension; dental trauma; rigidity; wire-composite splint