The Relationship between Dental Follicle Width and Maxillary Impacted Canines’ Descriptive and Resorptive Features Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

Abstract

Objectives To assess the relationship between dental follicle width and maxillary impacted canines' descriptive and resorptive features with three-dimensional (3D) cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Methods The study comprised 102 patients with cone-beam computed tomography 3D images and a total of 140 impacted canines. The association between maxillary impacted canine dental follicle width and the variables of gender, impaction side (right and left), localization of impacted canine (buccal, central, and palatal), and resorption of the adjacent laterals was compared. Measurements were analyzed with Student's t-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Mann–Whitney U statistical test. Results According to gender, no statistically significant differences were found in the follicle size of the maxillary impacted canine between males and females (p > 0.05). Widths of the follicles were determined for the right and left impaction sides, and no statistically significant relation was found (p > 0.05). There were statistically significant differences between root resorption degrees of lateral incisors and maxillary impacted canine follicle width (p < 0.05). Statistically significant higher follicle width values were present in degree 2 (mild) resorption than in degree 1 (no) and degree 3 (moderate) resorption samples (p < 0.05). Conclusions No significant correlation was found between follicle width and the variables of gender, impaction side, and localization of maxillary impacted canines. Our study could not confirm that increased dental follicle width of the maxillary impacted canines exhibited more resorption risk for the adjacent lateral incisors.

Skeletal and Dental Morphological Characteristics of the Maxillary in Patients with Impacted Canines Using Cone Beam Computed Tomography: A Retrospective Clinical Study

“…Tooth eruption is the vertical movement from the intra-alveolar non-functional position to the functional line of occlusion [1]. The maxillary canine erupts at age 11 in boys and at approximately 10.6 years in girls [2], with a longer development period, deeper area of formation, and a more difficult path to the occlusal position [3][4][5][6]. Coulter and Richardson observed a distance traveled from formation to eruption of 22 mm [7].…”

“…It is considered impacted when it is completely or partially covered by mucoperiosteum and bone, distant from the place and time that corresponds to it in the mouth [8,9]. After the third molar, the canine is the tooth that most frequently presents anomalies in its eruption [5,9,10], with a prevalence of 1-3% [2,[4][5][6][11][12][13][14][15], and in the majority of the cases, it is an asymptomatic process [14]. Exclusively within orthodontic practice, the prevalence amounts to 23.5% of orthodontic patients [2,16].…”

“…The 83-92% of canine impactions are unilateral [5], with a higher prevalence (58%) on the left side [23]. Numerous studies have affirmed that it clearly predominates in the female sex [2,4,6,7,9,15,17,18,23,24] in a 2:1 ratio [2,6,18].…”

“…Conventional two-dimensional (2D) radiography has shown errors, and lack of diagnostic precision and unsatisfactory information not only in dental impactions [4,24] but also in the periodontal diagnosis of the alveolar bone [27]. Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) has become the alternative and the reference diagnostic test to determine the position of impacted canines [2,5,28] because of its reduced distortion, lower cost and lower radiation exposure with respect to other three-dimensional techniques such as computerized tomography (CT) [4] because it allows for obtaining the specific image of the canine area without the need to expose other areas [1,11] Therefore, we can see the exact position, angulation, assessment of adjacent structures and associated root resorptions [2,12]. The kilovoltage of the CT and the CBCT are, respectively, 120 and 60-90 kV [29], therefore obtaining a lower radiation with the second method.…”

Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) assessment of incisor root resorption (IRR) associated with impacted maxillary canines (IMC). Literature review

“…Regarding the size of canine dental follicle, no significant correlation was found between follicle width and the variables gender, impaction side, and MIC location. It could not be confirmed that increased dental follicle width of the MICs exhibited more resorption risk for the adjacent lateral incisors (30). A Brazilian study (28) concluded that a wide dental follicle of impacted canines was not associated with a higher incidence of external root resorption of adjacent teeth .…”