Localization of impacted maxillary canines and observation of adjacent incisor resorption with cone-beam computed tomography

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) the locations of impacted maxillary canines and resorption of neighboring incisors. Two hundred ten impacted maxillary canines were analyzed using CBCT images. The locations of the impacted canines were assessed and angular and linear measurements were taken using NewTom proprietary software. In addition, root resorption of neighboring incisors was investigated. Among these impactions, 45.2% were impacted buccal-labially, 40.5% were impacted palatally, and 14.3% in the midalveolus. The locations varied: mesial-labial impaction (n = 67), mesial-palatal impaction (n = 74), in situ impaction (n = 31), distal impaction (n = 12), horizontal impaction (n = 18), and inverted impaction (n = 8). Quantitive measurements further depicted these variations. Root resorption was present in 27.2% of lateral and 23.4% of central incisors, and 94.3% of these resorptions occurred where the impacted canines were in close contact with the incisors. The location of impacted maxillary canines varies greatly in 3 planes, and the resorption of neighboring permanent incisors is common.