Elsevier

Journal of Endodontics

Volume 30, Issue 2, February 2004, Pages 80-83
Journal of Endodontics

CLINICAL RESEARCH
Repair of Root Perforations Using Mineral Trioxide Aggregate: A Long-term Study

https://doi.org/10.1097/00004770-200402000-00004Get rights and content

Root perforations adversely affect the prognosis of teeth. Inadequacy of the repair materials has been a contributing factor to the poor outcome of repair procedures. Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) is a relatively new material that is being successfully used to repair perforations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the success rate of root perforation repairs using MTA. A list of all of the perforation repairs completed with MTA at an endodontic residency program was obtained. Sixteen cases were included that met the criteria for this study. Pretreatment, immediate posttreatment, and at least 1 year follow-up radiographs were evaluated in a double-blind manner to determine the presence or absence of any pathologic changes adjacent to the perforation site. The results showed that all 16 cases demonstrated normal tissue architecture adjacent to the repair site at the recall visit. Teeth with existing lesions showed resolution of the lesion, and teeth without preoperative lesions continued to demonstrate absence of lesion formation at the follow-up visit. Based on the results of this study, MTA provides an effective seal of root perforations and shows promise in improving the prognosis of perforated teeth that would otherwise be compromised.

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MATERIALS AND METHODS

A cross-referenced list was obtained of all patients seen at the Loma Linda University endodontic residency program who were treated with MTA. From this list, patients were chosen based on the following criteria: presence of a root perforation that had been repaired with MTA with accompanying radiographs documenting the tooth at the time of treatment and a minimum of 1 year of postoperative follow-up. All patients from the list meeting these criteria were included in the study. There were 16

RESULTS

Of the 16 clinical cases that were included in this study, five were classified as lateral perforations (Fig. 1), five as strip perforations (Fig. 2), three as furcal perforations (Fig. 3), and three as apical perforations (Fig. 4). None of the teeth had pocket measurements greater than 3 mm. Seven of these patients presented with radiolucent lesions at the time of repair. The follow-up radiographs ranged from 12 to 45 months. All of the cases with evidence of preoperative radiolucency

DISCUSSION

Although MTA is one of the most researched materials in dentistry, showing remarkable results, the majority of the published data are based on in vitro and animal studies. Research must be continued to evaluate clinical outcomes in human subjects. The importance of clinical data is substantiated by recent trends in evidence-based dentistry. In this article, we present a series of cases that have demonstrated consistent healing with the use of MTA as a perforation repair material. The

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