Clinical and radiographic features of external cervical resorption - An observational study.

AIM: To determine the prevalence of symptoms, clinical signs and radiographic presentation of external cervical resorption (ECR). METHODOLOGY: This study involved 215 ECR lesions in 194 patients referred to the Endodontic postgraduate Unit at King's College London or Specialist Endodontic practice (London, UK). The clinical and radiographic findings (periapical [PA] and cone beam computed tomography [CBCT]) were readily accessible for evaluation. A checklist was used for data collection. Inferential analysis was carried out to determine if there was any potential association between type and location of tooth in the jaw as well as sex, age of the patient and ECR presentation and radiographic feature. RESULTS: Eighty-eight patients (94 teeth) were female and 106 patients were male (121 teeth), the mean age (±SD) was 41.5 (±17.7) years. Fifteen patients (7.7%) had more than one ECR lesion. The most affected teeth were maxillary central incisors (21.4% [46 teeth]) and mandibular first molars (10.2% [22 teeth]). ECR was most commonly detected as an incidental radiographic finding in 58.1% [125 teeth] of the cases. ECR presented with symptoms of pulpal/periapical disease in 23.3% [n = 50] and clinical signs (e.g. pink spot, cavitation) in 16.7% [36 teeth] of the cases. Clinical signs such as cavitation (14%), pink spot (5.1%) and discolouration (2.8%) were uncommon, but their incidence increased up to 24.7% when combined with other clinical findings. ECR was detected in the resorptive and reparative phases in 70.2% and 29.8% of the cases respectively. CONCLUSION: ECR appears to be quiescent in nature, the majority being asymptomatic and diagnosed incidentally from PA or CBCT. When assessed with the Patel classification, most lesions were minimal to moderate in relation to their height (1 or 2) and circumferential spread (A or B). However, the majority of ECRs were in (close) proximity to the pulp. Symptoms and clinical signs were associated with (probable) pulp involvement rather than the height and circumferential spread of the lesion. Clinical signs were more frequently associated when ECR affected multiple surfaces.

The Assessment and Management of External Cervical Resorption with Periapical Radiographs and Cone-beam Computed Tomography: A Clinical Study.

INTRODUCTION: This in vivo study assessed whether there was a difference between periapical radiographs (PRs) and cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) imaging in the detection, assessment, and management of external cervical resorption (ECR). The secondary aim was to determine if parallax radiographs were of any further benefit compared with a single PR. METHODS: PR and CBCT data were gathered for 115 teeth (98 patients) consecutively diagnosed with ECR. The diagnosis and treatment plan of each tooth were determined with PRs and CBCT imaging. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, negative predictive values, and receiver operator characteristic values were determined. RESULTS: The overall sensitivity (0.86) and specificity (0.89) of PRs was significantly lower than CBCT imaging (P < .001). PRs had a limited ability to accurately detect the size (0.75), circumferential spread (0.60), and location of ECR compared with CBCT imaging (P < .001). PRs also underestimated the size of the ECR lesion. Significant differences (P < .001) were apparent in the treatment plans formed when PRs were assessed versus CBCT imaging. Parallax radiographs were shown to be of no additional benefit compared with a single radiograph. CONCLUSIONS: PRs have significant limitations in the detection, assessment, and treatment planning of ECR when compared with CBCT imaging. A CBCT scan should be considered before the management of a potentially restorable ECR lesion.

Multiple Apical Radiolucencies and External Cervical Resorption Associated with Varicella Zoster Virus: A Case Report.

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is responsible for the primary infection chickenpox. After the initial infection, it remains latent but can reactivate, resulting in shingles (herpes zoster). Previous reports have implicated VZV in the pathogenesis of apical periodontitis, but the involvement of the virus has not been investigated fully. The present case describes a patient who suffered from a severe episode of shingles and subsequently developed periapical radiolucencies of all the teeth in the affected nerve distribution. Molecular and culture techniques showed the presence of VZV DNA in the root canal system in the absence of bacteria. This confirms that VZV can cause localized pulp necrosis and apical periodontitis. The lesions healed after endodontic treatment, implying chemomechanical debridement using sodium hypochlorite irrigation and a calcium hydroxide interim dressing may be effective against the virus.

The Use of Intentional Replantation to Repair an External Cervical Resorptive Lesion Not Amenable to Conventional Surgical Repair.

Intentional replantation consists of purposefully extracting a tooth, correcting the defect and replanting it into its original socket. This case report describes how this technique was used to successfully restore an external cervical resorptive (ECR) lesion. A 22-year-old man was diagnosed with ECR of the mandibular right canine following clinical and radiographic examination. CBCT showed the lesion had been initiated distally and extended circumferentially around the root canal. The nature of the resorptive lesion meant that it was inaccessible to repair conventionally in a predictable manner. This report describes how intentional replantation was used to access and restore the lesion with minimal patient cooperation and postoperative discomfort. At an 18-month recall the tooth was clinically sound with no radiographic evidence of inflammatory or replacement root resorption. Intentional replantation should be considered a viable treatment option when ECR is inaccessible and cannot be restored using conventional techniques.