Storage medium for avulsed teeth: A narrative review

Abstract

Dental avulsion is the most severe type of traumatic tooth injury, resulting in the complete displacement of the tooth from its socket in the alveolar bone. Immediate replantation of an avulsed permanent tooth is recommended for successful treatment and a good prognosis. However, replantation is not always feasible. The biological properties of the storage medium, which must preserve the viability, clonogenic capacity, and mitogenic potential of the periodontal ligament (PDL) cells, are crucial for successful reimplantation. If the root surface dries out excessively due to prolonged extraoral time before replantation, the damaged PDL cells can trigger an inflammatory response across the root surface, leading to ankylosis. There are various types of storage media, both synthetic and natural. Therefore, selecting the appropriate storage medium in an emergency is critical for improving the outcome of teeth that cannot be immediately replanted. This review examines research on various storage media for avulsed teeth, focusing on their properties and effectiveness, based on articles from electronic databases.

Keywords

• dental trauma
• periodontal ligament
• storage media
• tooth avulsion
• traumatic dental injuries