Development of ankylosis in permanent incisors following delayed replantation and severe intrusion

Ankylosis is a predictable outcome for replanted incisors and for most severely intruded incisors. There is no treatment to arrest or reverse this periodontal ligament complication. Ankylosis of the incisors of preadolescents alters local alveolar growth and eventually produces tooth loss subsequent to resorption. Currently, clinical methods used to diagnose ankylosis in the early postinjury period include subjective assessments of percussion sound and mobility and quantitative devices such as the Periotest. This paper describes the progression of ankylosis in two preadolescent patients that sustained severe trauma to their maxillary central incisors. A number of clinical assessments for diagnosis of ankylosis were compared for their usefulness, reliability and suitability.