Tissue changes in immature dog teeth autotransplanted to surgically prepared sockets.

Tissue reactions in teeth autotransplanted to surgically prepared sockets were investigated by means of microangiographic, enzyme histochemical, and histologic methods. The experimental material consisted of 28 immature teeth in six mongrel dogs. In each tooth, approximately three fourths of the root was formed at the time of transplantation. Ten days after transplantation, a vascularized, well-stained connective tissue was observed in the apical area of the pulp. An ingrowing tissue had reached the pulp horn in all teeth 90 days after surgery. Odontoblasts were not found in any of the transplanted teeth. External root resorption was seen in all teeth but repair usually occurred approximately parallel to the ingrowth of new tissue into the pulp cavity. In a few teeth, however, advanced inflammatory root resorption was observed in cracks in the cervical area. When compared with the results of a previous study, the ingrowth of tissue occurred at a considerably slower rate than in teeth autotransplanted to natural sockets.