Decoronation as a Therapeutic Alternative for Ankylosis in Children and Adolescents for Vertical Bone Preservation and Growth: A Systematic Review.

Background/Objectives: Dentoalveolar ankylosis in adolescents involves a series of difficulties related to bone growth and development, especially in a vertical manner. A systematic review of studies on ankylosis in young permanent teeth treated by decoronation which considered the preservation/vertical growth of the alveolar bone as their main objective was carried out. Methods: The PRISMA 2020 guidelines were followed. Our research question was formulated using the PICO structure. Clinical cases or a series of cases of ankylosis in which a tooth had been treated with decoronation, with a minimum follow-up of one year, were included. The search was carried out in five databases. The selection of search terms was based on previous works within this framework and their most cited descriptors. The article selection and data extraction were carried out by two investigators. The JBI critical checklist of clinical cases was used for quality assessment. Results: Twelve articles were selected with a total of 23 cases that met the inclusion criteria. The mean age at the time of trauma was 9 years and the mean age at decoronation was 12.5 years. The traumatic event was avulsion in 10 out of the 14 cases. The upper right central incisor represented 62.5% of the sample compared to 25% for the contralateral tooth. The follow-up period ranged from 1 to 10 years. Vertical bone augmentation was found in all cases except in three cases where it remained stable. Conclusions: Based on the results of the present review, it can be concluded that decoronation is an effective technique for maintaining/stimulating vertical bone growth in young ankylosed permanent teeth and that complete root resorption is an important factor associated with vertical bone growth.