Clinical Update quiz
The Clinical Update online is a free member service providing up to 11 FREE CPD hours per year.
Each month, the Clinical Update is published online and in the Victorian Dentist. There are 11 Clinical Updates per year, corresponding with the distribution of the Victorian Dentist from February to December. This service is available to ADAVB and ADATas members only. Members can log in to view and answer the Clinical Update questions. If you answer at least eight out of 10 questions correctly, you will receive one hour of scientific CPD.
Please note: Each new Clinical Update will be available below from the first business day of each month. Correct answers are printed in the next edition of Victorian Dentist and not before.
September Clinical Update
Effect of splinting times on the healing of intra‐alveolar root fractures in 512 permanent teeth in humans: A Scandinavian multicenter study
Isaksson, H., Koch, G., Bakland, L. K., & Andreasen, J. O. (2021). Effect of splinting times on the healing of intra‐alveolar root fractures in 512 permanent teeth in humans: A Scandinavian multicenter study. Dental Traumatology, 37(5), 672-676. https://doi.org/10.1111/edt.12683.
Compiled by Dr Francis Chan.
Introduction
A treatment goal for intra-alveolar root fractures is to induce hard tissue repair between the apical and coronal fragments of the root. A 1967 study that combined clinical, radiographic and histological data described four outcomes following intra-alveolar transverse root fractures:
- Healing with interposition of hard tissue between fragments (HT)
- Healing with interposition of connective tissue without bone (CT)
- Healing with interposition of connective tissue with bone (CT+B)
- Non-healing due to coronal pulp necrosis an infection with interposed granulation tissue (GT).
The first major textbook on dental trauma recommended a splinting protocol of three months. This recommendation was followed in some Scandinavian dental trauma centres, while others followed a protocol of shorter splinting times (two–four weeks). The specific reason for these different protocols is unclear.
The aim of this study was to compare treatment outcomes of teeth with intra-alveolar root fractures treated in three Scandinavian dental trauma centres, two of which used a long splinting time protocol (~three months) and one that used a short splinting time protocol (≤ one month).
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