The palatally displaced maxillary canine. A retrospective comparison between an interceptive and a corrective...

The purpose of this retrospective study was to analyze palatally displaced maxillary canines referred for specialist treatment compared with those successfully treated by the general practitioner by interceptive extraction of either the primary canine or the primary canine and primary first molar. Special interest was focused on chronological age, dental age and dental maturity as well as the position of the canine at the time of recognition and referral. The Interceptive Treatment group consisted of 50 consecutive cases from computerized records, median age 11.7 years (range 8.9-14.11 years). The Corrective Treatment group comprised 47 consecutive cases, median age 14.1 years (range 11.1-18.0 years), referred to the Department of Orthodontics. Information was obtained by assessing the patient charts and radiographs. The results show that age at the time of recognition and referral is the most important factor for the final outcome while the position of the canine concerning angle alpha and sector S is a compromising factor. The results suggest that about one third of the Corrective Treatment group might have had a reasonably good chance of the canine's erupting without corrective treatment if they had been diagnosed and treated with interceptive extraction of the primary canine at an earlier age.