Interventions for treating traumatised ankylosed permanent front teeth.

Background: Teeth that have suffered trauma can fuse to the surrounding bone - the process referred to as dental ankylosis. Ankylosed permanent front teeth fail to erupt during facial growth and can become displaced, thus resulting in functional and aesthetic problems. Dental ankylosis is also associated with root resorption, which eventually leads to the loss of affected teeth. Different interventions for the management of ankylosed permanent front teeth have been described but it is unclear which are the most effective.

Objectives: To assess the effects of treatment options for ankylosed permanent front teeth.

Search Strategy: We searched the following databases: Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register (to September 2009); Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2009, Issue 3); MEDLINE (1950 to September 2009); EMBASE (1980 to September 2009); and LILACS (1980 to September 2009). There were no language restrictions.

Selection Criteria: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing any intervention for treating displaced ankylosed permanent front teeth in individuals of any age.

Data Collection And Analysis: Two independent review authors screened studies in duplicate. Although no study was included, the authors had planned to extract data independently and to assess risk of bias following the Cochrane Collaboration methods.

Main Results: The search retrieved 77 references to studies. None matched the inclusion criteria and therefore were excluded.

Authors' Conclusions: There is no evidence from RCTs about the comparative effectiveness of the different treatment options for ankylosed permanent front teeth. The lack of high level evidence for the management of this health problem emphasises the need for well designed clinical trials.