Autotransplantation With a 3-Dimensionally Printed Replica of the Donor Tooth Minimizes Extra-Alveolar Time and Intraoperative Fitting Attempts: A Multicenter Prospective Study of 100 Transplanted Teeth

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) autotransplantation is a technique for surgical transposition of a tooth to another site within one patient, using 3D printed replicas of the donor tooth. In this study, we evaluated intraoperative experiences during 3D autotransplantation of teeth. A multicenter prospective clinical study was implemented. All procedures were performed using preoperative cone-beam computed tomography imaging and computer-assisted design with computer-assisted manufacturing resulting in a 3D replica of the donor tooth. The 100 autotransplantation procedures (79 patients) included canines, premolars, molars, and 1 supernumerary tooth. In 82% of the procedures, the transplantation was performed with an extra-alveolar time of less than 1minute and an immediate good fit of the donor tooth. In 14%, the extra-alveolar time was 1 to 3minutes or multiple fitting attempts were necessary. In 4%, the extra-alveolar time exceeded 3minutes. Difficulties during the procedures were caused by movement artifacts on the preoperative cone-beam computed tomography imaging, a long interval between the imaging and the procedure, or insufficient bone volume at the recipient site. The use of a 3D printed donor tooth replica during autotransplantation procedures minimized the extra-alveolar time and intraoperative fitting attempts of transplants. This facilitated a quick and reliable treatment and enabled more difficult procedures.