Posttreatment status of palatally impacted maxillary canines treated applying 2 different surgical-orthodontic methods.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE. There is considerable debate on the issues of the choice of a surgical technique for the treatment of palatally impacted maxillary canines. The aim of the study was to evaluate the posttreatment status of palatally impacted canines treated applying 2 different surgical methods, i.e., an open technique with free eruption and a closed flap technique, and to compare it with the status of naturally erupted canines. MATERIAL AND METHODS. In total, 43 patients treated for unilateral palatally impacted maxillary canines were examined at a mean follow-up of 4.19 months (SD, 1.44; range, 3-6) after a fixed appliance had been removed. The patients were distributed into 2 groups: the open technique with free eruption (group 1, n=22) and the closed technique (group 2, n=21). The posttreatment examination consisted of an intraoral and a radiological examination. RESULTS. The findings of tooth position, inclination, color, shape, and function did not differ between the groups. There was no significant difference in the measurements of the periodontal pocket depth and bone support between the groups: the mean periodontal pocket depth was 2.14 mm (SD, 0.38) in the group 1 and 2.28 mm (SD, 0.69) in the group 2; the mean bone support was 91.51% (SD, 5.78%) and 89.9% (SD, 5%) in the groups, respectively. However, differences were found when comparing the measurements of the quadrant of impacted canines with the quadrant of the contralateral normally erupted canines. The distal contact point of the lateral incisor and the medial contact point of the canine showed a significant bone loss in comparison with the contralateral corresponding teeth. CONCLUSIONS. The posttreatment status of palatally impacted canines and adjacent teeth after the surgical-orthodontic treatment did not differ significantly between the groups of the open and the closed surgical method.