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Published on: May 9, 2022
Treatment of periodontal destruction associated with a cemental tear using minimally invasive surgery
1Baylor College of Dentistry, TAMUS, Dallas, TX, USA. skh1@airmail.net
Background:
A patient presented with moderate probing depth, pain on occlusal contact, and a fistula on a mandibular bicuspid. The probing depth increased 2 mm over a 3-month period despite relief of the occlusal trauma and resolution of the fistula. A radiograph showed an apparent separation of the cementum in the area of the pocket.
Methods:
The lesion was treated using a minimally invasive surgical approach to place a bone graft.
Results:
The probing depth was reduced to 2 mm with less than 1 mm of increased recession. A histologic examination of the damaged calcified tissue confirmed that it was cementum.
Conclusions:
The increasing probing depth associated with a cemental tear seems to indicate that this phenomenon contributed to loss of attachment and bone. Removal of the detached cementum in combination with bone grafting using a minimally invasive surgical approach appears to have successfully corrected the periodontal destruction.