Effect on periodontal healing of saline irrigation of the tooth socket before replantation

Abstract The following investigation was designed to study the healing of replanted teeth when the formation of a blood coagulum in the alveolar socket is avoided as much as possible before replantation. Eighteen maxillary incisors from 4 beagle dogs were used. The teeth were extracted and stored dry for 30 min in order to induce a standardized damage to the periodontal ligament cells, and were then replanted and splinted. Nine of the sockets were continuously irrigated with saline to achieve hemostasis before replantation. In 9 sockets a coagulum was allowed to form. After 2 wk the root canals were cleansed and filled with Ca(OH)₂ and the splints were removed. Three months later the dogs were sacrified and the premaxillas were removed and processed according to routine histologic methods. Transverse sections were cut and one section at every 500 μm interval was analyzed using light microscopy. Ankylosis was found in 3 teeth replanted in saline-irrigated sockets, while 8 teeth replanted in untreated sockets were ankylosed. Resorption without ankylosis was found in all teeth, irrespective of type of treatment of the alveolar sockets, but a tendency toward less extensive resorption areas was noted in the teeth replanted in saline-irrigated sockets. Thus, the present study indicates that continuous irrigation of the alveolar socket with saline before replantation promotes the normal healing of experimentally exarticulated teeth in dogs.