Complications associated with the occurrence and treatment of impacted maxillary canines

The aim of this study was to evaluate the complications associated with the occurrence and treatment of impacted maxillary canines.

This retrospective study was conducted on 533 Southern Chinese children and adolescents who attended the Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics Clinics and had at least one impacted maxillary canine. The study material included all the documentation files and radiographs of these patients. Complications that had been recorded in the clinical and surgical notes and that could be diagnosed from the available radiographs were noted. The data obtained were descriptively analyzed.

The most frequently reported phenomenon associated with the occurrence of impacted maxillary canine (prior to surgical treatment) was root resorption of an adjacent permanent tooth in 22 (4.1%) patients. The most frequently reported sequelae observed after any surgical procedure was swelling of the soft tissues around the operation site which often persisted for 48h as seen in 76 (18.8%) patients. Complications reported most commonly after any form of surgery included post-operative bleeding: 7(1.7%), hematoma: 7(1.7%), post-operative pain: 6(1.5%) and purulent discharge: 6(1.5%), post-operative complications in relation to surgical exposure and bonding of an attachment which included breakage of ligature wire: 5.7%; de-bonding of the attachment: 4.3% and inability to bond the attachment during surgery: 1.4% occurred rarely.

The frequency of root resorption of teeth adjacent to an impacted maxillary canine was low. Swelling of the soft tissue 48h post-operatively was the most commonly occurring complication after surgical intervention.