A possible association between early apical resorption of primary teeth and ectodermal characteristics of the permanent dentition.

The hypothesis of this study is that children with unexpected early apical resorption of the primary teeth are also predisposed to resorption in the permanent dentition. Accordingly, the aim was to perform a longitudinal study focussing on the permanent teeth in children with unexpected early apical resorption in the primary dentition. Panoramic radiographs of 12 children (7 boys and 5 girls) aged 6 years 4 months to 8 years 9 months with unexpected early apical resorption of primary teeth were identified from a dental archive of 588 patients. After written request, follow-up radiographs were obtained (2-15 year interval between early and follow-up radiographs). The radiographs were examined in order to verify the abnormal resorption pattern of the primary teeth and dental deviations in the permanent teeth, known to predispose for root resorption (i.e. invaginations, narrow crowns, abrupt root deflections, slender roots, short roots, taurodontia, agenesis, deviant pattern of eruption). Primary dentition: Two phenotypically different resorption groups were identified: group I, eight patients (resorption of the roots only), and group II, four patients (resorption of root and crown). Permanent dentition: In all 12 children, dental deviations in the permanent dentition were observed. Additionally, idiopathic external apical resorption of the permanent teeth was seen in three children, two of whom had received orthodontic treatment.