Avulsion or exarticulation occurs when a traumatic
injury totally displaces a tooth from the socket.
Treatment of the avulsed tooth is one area in dentistry
where recent research has been applied to greatly
improve the prognosis for the long-term retention of
these teeth. Andreasen recently reviewed tooth avulsion
and replantation.
Although the prognosis for an
avulsed tooth must always be guarded, replantation as
splinting and endodontic therapy has been shown to be
the most effective method of treatment. The shortest
extra-oral period (less than 15 minutes), minimum
manipulation of the tooth surface and the socket, and
the use of an appropriate storage medium have been
identified as factors that minimized subsequent root
resorption.
The most common reason for unfavourable long-term survival of avulsed teeth is root resorption. A
number of factors have been identified as being impor-tant in the prevention and management of root
resorption associated with avulsed teeth.