On the phenomenon of intraosseous migration of nonerupting teeth

Little is know about intraosseous migration of nonerupting teeth, a rare natural condition of horizontal tooth movement and impaction. It occurs only in the mandible and involves primarily the second premolar or the canine. When the second premolar is the affected tooth, it always is found distal to its normal position. The origins of the second premolar intraosseous migration phenomenon are obscure and usually no treatment is recommended. Intraosseous migration involving the canine is commonly called transmigration because the affected canine moves mesially across the mandibular symphysis to the opposite side of the mandible. Analysis of 50 published cases of canine transmigration indicated higher occurrence in women and no sidedness preference. In over 80% of the studied cases, the canine remained nonerupted and, of the 24 cases receiving some treatment, all but two underwent extraction of the anomalous canine. The canine transmigration phenomenon appears to show signs of having some genetic determinants.