Prognosis and complications of mature teeth after lateral luxation: A systematic review

Dental trauma injuries are frequent in children and adolescents and can result in a sequela of future complications. Lateral luxation injuries are diagnosed when a tooth becomes displaced in a position other than axial and is often associated with alveolar bone fracture. Although the tooth is not immediately lost, pulp canal obliteration or pulpal necrosis can occur. The objective of this systematic review was to gather existing data on lateral luxation injuries to mature teeth to evaluate their overall prognosis and reported complications.

The authors conducted a systematic search of the literature using MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases in February 2019. They hand searched reference lists to identify additional literature. The authors included prospective and retrospective observational studies in the search. They screened a total of 291 articles, downloaded 28 articles, and included 4 articles in the study.

The most frequent complication reported for mature teeth with lateral luxation was pulpal necrosis (44.2%). Less frequent findings included surface resorption (14.0%), inflammatory resorption (8.5%), pulp canal obliteration (8.1%), and replacement resorption (0.9%). The included studies were cohort studies, which resulted in great heterogeneity, and the authors could not attempt a meta-analysis.

A large number of permanent teeth that experience lateral luxation are at risk of developing pulpal necrosis and other complications. Careful follow-up is required for these patients to treat complications as early as possible. Furthermore, the authors of this systematic review emphasize the importance of consistent reporting of dental trauma outcomes.