Dental transplants: discussion and case report

A 21-year-old Chinese male patient presented to an urban dental clinic with a transplanted molar, which had been removed from a human cadaver. The tooth was in occlusal function for three years, stable, and without mobility. Radiographs of the tooth showed root resorption and apparent ankylosis. Individual transplantation of human teeth has been considered surgical dental treatment of an empirical nature for centuries. Two types of human tooth transplantation are usually considered in the dental literature. An allotransplantation or allograft is a transplantation of tissue (tooth) between different individuals of identical species. An autotransplantation or autograft is a transplantation of tissue within the same individual (obviously within the same species). Replacement of an avulsed tooth, while technically an autograft is considered a replantation, rather than a transplant. Tooth transplantations in the late 20th century are usually performed in developing third world countries, where patient dental education is minimal, and the cost of more technology based forms of tooth replacement (prosthodontics, synthetic implants) are economically prohibitive. Transplantation of permanent teeth is rarely seen in the United States in the 1990's due to the use of titanium implants, although pediatric, adolescent, and disabled patients, especially those with limited incomes, could benefit from the re-introduction of dental transplants.