Adverse effects of splinting of luxated primary teeth: A systematic review

Traumatic dental injuries of primary teeth are considered as dental emergencies and public health problems because of the higher global prevalence. Dental literature in regard to optimal treatment options for periodontal injuries of primary teeth (luxation injuries) is quite limited and perplexing in terms of treatment outcomes/prognosis due to several relevant factors. To date, there has been no systematic review published in context of exploring and analyzing the unfavorable outcomes/adverse effects of splinting the luxated primary teeth and its effect on permanent successors teeth. Hence, the current systematic review (SR) was conducted with the aim to systematically explore and appraise the literature about the unfavorable outcomes of splinting of primary teeth with luxation injuries. This SR was conducted as per PRISMA guidelines and PICO format of review question and literature search. The protocol was registered in PROSPERO. Thirty-two articles were included in this review for critical appraisal. The quality of included articles was analyzed by JBI critical appraisal checklist. The majority of case reports (CRs) revealed unfavorable outcomes (mostly for lateral luxation and extrusion) followed by retrospective studies (RSs), which reported both favorable and unfavorable outcomes/sequelae after splinting. The most common adverse outcomes of splinting in luxation injuries were crown discoloration, pathological root resorption, and pulp necrosis in affected primary teeth, which were mainly reported by CR and RS articles. Adverse sequelae on permanent successor teeth including incomplete eruption, hypocalcified defects, enamel hypoplasia, displaced permanent tooth germ, and dentigerous cyst have mainly been reported by only a few case reports.