Multiple congenitally missing teeth treated with autotransplantation and orthodontics

Abstract

Treatment of children with several congenitally missing teeth is challenging, because growth and development of the oral structures must be considered. The treatment options include retaining the deciduous teeth and postponing treatment until later or extracting the deciduous teeth and doing one of the following: allowing the space to close spontaneously, closing the space orthodontically, or in patients whose growth is finished, using a prosthetic or implant replacement. One other viable option, if donor teeth are available, is autotransplantation. The treatment plan for patients with missing teeth should be based on a comprehensive evaluation of the patient's age, occlusion, and space requirements as well as on the size and shape of the adjacent teeth. This case report presents the management of a patient in the early mixed dentition with multiple missing teeth. The treatment consisted of a combination of autotransplantation of the maxillary right first premolar to the mandibular right first premolar region and orthodontic treatment with a 5-year follow-up after autotransplantation.