Temporary and permanent restorations for fractured permanent teeth with immature apices: a clinical study

Clinical and radiological studies of the fractured teeth of patients between seven and eleven years old were conducted to assess the use of permanent and immediate (emergency) techniques for reconstructing anterior permanent teeth with immature apices. The general hypothesis states that, given the physical and biocompatible properties of the materials used in the immediate (emergency) technique, there are no significant differences between the two techniques as far as pulp vitality and apical growth are concerned. A sample of fifty-six patients was selected. They had Class I, II or III fractures, for which permanent and immediate (emergency) techniques were used in equal numbers. Thermal, mechanical, and electrical tests were used to evaluate pulp vitality compared with the homologous tooth. Apical convergence was the radiological criterion used for determining the end of the radicular process. After one year, both techniques allow preservation of pulp vitality. Results show that, unlike the conventional technique (permanent), radicular formation was completed first in teeth reconstructed using the immediate (emergency) technique. Statistical analysis shows no definitive relationship between the technique used and completion of apical growth time (P > 0.05). In conclusion, comparison between the mediate (permanent) and immediate (emergency) techniques shows that the immediate (emergency) technique is an adequate alternative for reconstructing fractured teeth, because of the greater esthetic and functional advantages at the patient's disposal.