Clinical Outcome Of Autotranplantation Treatment

Autotransplantation aims to surgically reposition a healthy tooth into the location of a compromised tooth that is due for extraction. Although not being a routine procedure, autotransplantation has been an option to replace a severely broken-down tooth. This study presents a systematic review of studies that examined the clinical outcome of this treatment modality. A total of 3941 reports published in English language up to January 2025 were identified from electronic search. After applying the exclusion criteria (observation more than 1 year, no in vitro or animal study, no case reports), 224 clinical reports were subject to full-text screening with 46 included in the final analysis. The mean follow-up period ranged from 1 to 26.4 years, and the average patient age between 10 and 39 years. In half of the studies (n=23), the patients were below 18 years of age. Overall, little difference was noted among age groups. The survival rate was reported as 84–100% for donor teeth with incomplete root formation at time of transplantation, and 72.4–100% for studies that included donor teeth with complete root formation (closed apices) in the population. The major reasons for extraction of the donor teeth were inflammatory and replacement resorption, with restorative or periodontal failure showing relatively low incidence. It was concluded that atraumatic extraction and excluding any pulpal contaminants were paramount in ensuring longevity of the auto-transplanted tooth. The procedure seemed equally successful for teeth with different stages of root development.