Autonomous eruption of palatally displaced canines, version 1.0
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An investigation into factors influencing the autonomous eruption of palatally displaced maxillary canines following open surgical exposure
IRAS ID
315148
Contact name
Aman Ulhaq
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 3 months, 18 days
Research summary
The maxillary (upper) canine teeth usually erupt into the mouth at 11-12 years of age. In 1-2% of the population these teeth may fail to erupt because of an abnormal position or angulation. These are termed impacted teeth. Most impacted maxillary canines are found in the palate, termed palatally displaced canines (PDCs).
One common treatment option for PDCs is open surgical exposure. The surgery involves cutting a window through the bone and gum of the palate to uncover the tooth, so that a brace can later be attached to try to move the tooth into a better position.
Following open surgical exposure, some PDCs will begin to move spontaneously. No previous research exists that has quantified how much movement occurs, or the timing or duration of this movement; nor is there an understanding of the factors which may influence these movements.
If these spontaneous movements were better understood, then better decisions could be made on the optimum time to attach a brace to the PDC, and the duration of active orthodontic treatment may be shorter as a result, which would be preferable for patients and necessitate fewer orthodontic appointments.
Our study plans to recruit patients who are planned to undergo open surgical exposure for a PDC under the care of the Edinburgh Dental Institute. We plan to observe and measure the spontaneous movement of the PDCs by comparing their position on pre-operative scans to their position on post-operative dental impressions or optical intraoral scans, taken at defined intervals following surgery.
The surgery and the orthodontic treatment would proceed as normal. Patients who wish to participate in the study would be required to attend additional appointments at the Dental Institute to have dental impressions or intraoral scans taken so that the movement of the PDCs can be monitored over time.REC name
North West - Greater Manchester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/NW/0095
Date of REC Opinion
5 May 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion