Splinting in the management of dental trauma in the primary dentition: a systematic review.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this study was to gather existing data on the efficacy of tooth splinting (TS) in patients with traumatized primary teeth, evaluating their overall prognosis and reported complications.

METHODS

Electronic searches were performed in seven databases up to Februray/2023. Clinical studies published in the last two decades and presenting the following characteristics were included: (a) reporting on children with traumatized primary teeth; (b) describing the efficacy of splinting those teeth. Studies describing imobilization of dental avulsion were excluded.

RESULTS

A total of 163 potentially relevant studies were initially found. After title/abstract screening, and full-text evaluation, three retrospective studies with moderate to high risk of bias were included. The studies described the outcomes of TS in primary teeth with luxation (intrusion, extrusion, lateral displacement), intra-alveolar root fracture, and/or alveolar fracture. High clinical success rate was observed for teeth with root fracture. Benefits of spliting teeth with lateral luxation were not identified, although it may be a reccomended approach. No study was found evaluating TS for alveolar fracture.

CONCLUSION

Based on a low level of evidence, the findings highlight a better clinical success rate of the use of TS in the management of deciduous teeth with root fractures.