Repair potential in localized juvenile periodontitis. A case in point.

An aggressive form of localized juvenile periodontitis (LJP) in a 12-year old West African female is reported. The case was treated with scaling, root planing, debridement, and tetracycline therapy, which resulted in complete resolution of the disease, including elimination of periodontal inflammation, regeneration of lost periodontal structures, and spontaneous repositioning of teeth that had pathologically migrated. A hopelessly involved mandibular right first molar was successfully replaced by an incompletely developed maxillary third molar tooth bud whose roots and pulp structure continued to develop after autotransplantation. It is suggested, that LJP can be successfully treated without periodontal surgery and that the potential for repair in LJP cases is apparently greater than what one can anticipate in adult forms of periodontitis.