Histopathological Analysis of Dens Invaginatus in an Immature Permanent Incisor

Abstract

Dens Invaginatus (DI) is a congenital development malformation. The complex anatomy of DI aids in the retention of food and bacteria, which leads to pulp necrosis and develops into periapical inflammation. The histopathology of DI is not very clear. This study reports an unusual case of a 6-year-old boy who had a malformed immature permanent mandibular central incisor with DI Type III and apical periodontitis. The malformed tooth was extracted due to the severe infection and short tooth root. Histological results showed that typical pulp tissues were in the main root canal whereas a typical granuloma existed in the invaginated part. This case report indicate that the apical periodontitis in DI Type III was mainly induced by the invaginatus canal and the pertinent treatment for the invaginatus canal was the key for DI Type III.

Keywords

• cone beam computed tomography
• dens in dente
• histology
• tooth abnormality