Relationship between pulp dimensions and development of pulp necrosis after luxation injuries in the permanent dentition

Abstract A relationship between type of luxation injury, stage of root development and development of pulp necrosis after injury has been demonstrated. It was therefore decided to delve more deeply into the relationship between stage of root development and the later development of pulp necrosis after injury in a material of luxated permanent teeth. In this context, the diameter of the apical foramen and the distance from the apical foramen to the pulp horn, as measured on radiographs taken at the time of injury, were used as indicators of root development. In order to justify this approach, the precision of the measuring technique and the accuracy of the radiographic technique were studied. Regarding precision of the measuring technique, it was found that there was a 1% to 4.3% error of the means of all measurements for the various parameters and exposure techniques employed. With respect to accuracy of the radiographic technique, it was found that there was a systematic error in the radio-graphic technique which resulted in a median relative distortion of between 3.5% and 8% image magnification for the various parameters and the exposure techniques employed. These findings indicated that the measuring technique employed in the present investigation was reliable for studying the parameters in question. In a material of 226 extruded, intruded and laterally luxated maxillary permanent incisors, observed for up to 10 years, it was found that the development of pulp necrosis after injury was significantly related to the diameter of the apical foramen. For extruded and laterally luxated teeth, the smaller the diameter, the greater the probability of pulp necrosis. Intruded teeth with incomplete root development (i.e. radiographic diameters ≥1.2 mm) were associated with a much higher probability of pulp survival than teeth with complete root development (i.e. radiographic diameters ≤0.7 mm). The distance from the apical foramen to the pulp horn did not appear to be of importance in predicting pulp survival when diameter of the apical foramen was taken into account. Pulp survival after luxation injuries with displacement thus appears to be dependent upon the size of apical contact between the pulp and the periodontium.