Success of autogenous tooth transplantation: a retrospective and prospective approach

Abstract

The first aim of the present study was to determine the influence of different parameters such as age, gender and root formation on the long-term success rate of autogenously transplanted canines. Out of 133 patients, who had undergone canine transplantation during the period of 1995 to 2002, 60 patients volunteered to participate in this study. The follow-up period varied from 6 to 13 years with a mean follow-up time of 11 years. Of the 74 teeth transplanted in the 60 patients, 18 teeth were lost resulting in a survival rate of 75.7%. The remaining 56 canines were clinically and radiologically evaluated. The long-term success rate was 58.1%. Logistic regression analyses were performed. In multivariate analysis only age had a significant influence on the success rate. The second aim was to optimize the protocol for the construction of a tooth transplantation template. More specifically, different methods of image segmentation were investigated. The cone-beam device Galileos (Sirona, Bensheim, Germany) was used for three-dimensional (3D) scanning. The software programs ITK-SnAP 1.6 and A mira 4.1 were applied to segment the teeth. A paired t-test was performed to compare the different segmentation methods. Tooth segmentation was not possible with thresholding. No significant difference in surface distance was found between region- and edge-based segmentation. However, the time needed to complete region-based segmentation was significant lower that the time needed for edge-based segmentation. A case study is presented in which a template is used. In conclusion, autotransplantation of canines has a successful long-term outcome. The tooth transplantation template may be of value in minimizing the possible injury of the transplanted tooth during surgery. Therefore, using the template may further increase the success rate of tooth transplantation.