Tooth splinting: a review of the literature and consideration of the versatility of a wire-composite splint.

The principles of tooth luxation splinting have been changed since the animal and human tests conducted in the early 1970s showed that masticatory stimulus promotes healing of luxated teeth and normally exerted occlusal forces are able to prevent and eliminate small resorption cavities on the root surface. It has also been shown that fixation of only one week is enough to achieve the clinical healing of repositioned teeth. Apart from esthetic and hygienic components, present-day demands on tooth fixation techniques also include ease of construction and removal and the use of devices which allow slight movement of the fixed teeth. This paper presents the history of tooth splinting, our present-day knowledge of the subject, and introduces various splinting techniques. The wide range of indications for a flexible wire-composite splint are analyzed more thoroughly.