A clinical and radiographic evaluation of cultivated and autotransplanted human teeth.

A vital periodontal membrane (PDM) is of ultimate importance for a successful periodontal healing of auto-transplanted teeth. It has been suggested that a damaged PDM may heal during an intermediate tissue culture period. In the present study, 26 canines, bicuspids and third molars were surgically removed and cultivated in a modified Eagle's medium for 3 to 17 weeks. The teeth were then transplanted to their new positions. 11 out of 18 (61%) transplanted teeth with complete root formation and 7 out of 8 (88%) transplanted teeth with incomplete root formation healed with an apparently normal periodontal ligament. 5 teeth, all canines, became ankylotic. Tissue cultivation of teeth to be transplanted resulted in approximately the same healing rate as has been reported for autotransplanted teeth without the tissue culture procedure.