A new surgical technique for preservation of endodontically treated teeth with coronally located vertical root fractures: a prospective case series

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to present a new surgical preservation technique for teeth with incomplete vertical root fracture. STUDY DESIGN: Seventeen patients with 1 endodontically treated maxillary anterior tooth in which an incomplete vertical root fracture involving only the buccal side was suspected underwent a flap elevation procedure to visualize the pattern of bone loss and assess the type of root fracture. If the preoperative diagnosis was confirmed, a groove following the fracture line was prepared using retro-tips driven by an ultrasonic device and sealed with mineral trioxide aggregate after filling of the bone defect with calcium sulfate. RESULTS: A total of 10 vertical root fracture repair procedures were performed. At 12 months' follow-up, all cases showed clinical and radiographic success. After 33 months, 7 patients were available for a follow-up: 5 cases remained successful, and 2 teeth (lateral incisors) failed. CONCLUSIONS: The present surgical approach for preservation of teeth with incomplete vertical root fracture demonstrated satisfactory results regarding clinical outcome.