Periodontal status of neighboring teeth after orthodontic closure of mandibular extraction sites.

The gingival health, pocket depth and loss of fiber attachment of the mandibular first molars and first premolars were studied by clinical and radiographic methods after the embedded second premolar had been surgically removed on one side and extracted after eruption on the other, and the spaces had been closed orthodontically. Twenty-nine children participated in the study. Their mean age at the time of tooth removal was 11 years 3 months. The mean duration of the treatment was 20 months, and the children were examined 1 1/2 to 2 years after removal of the bands. The gingival status was generally similar on both sides. Some constriction of the alveolar process was observed in more than half the cases, both after extraction and after surgical removal. The loss of attachment on the buccal and lingual surfaces was approximately the same in both groups, whereas the radiographic distance from the cementoenamel junction to the bone margin on the proximal surfaces adjacent to the removed tooth was somewhat greater after extraction than after surgical removal.