TISSUE REACTION AROUND ACRYLIC ROOT TIPS

¹ The Institute of Dental Research, Oslo, Norway, and the Division of Periodontology, School of Dentistry, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.

In the sockets of 13 teeth in 4 dogs and 10 teeth in 4 monkeys acrylic root tips fixed to bridges were inserted. Histologic observation after 19 days to 338 days revealed that the acrylic root tips were well tolerated by the soft tissue. In the majority of cases, the epithelium adhered closely to the root tip in the same way as the epithelial cuff (epithelial attachment) adheres to a natural tooth, and no inflammation was observed. However, in some cases the root tips were covered by bacterial plaque that caused more or less severe inflammation. A membrane similar to the "primary cuticle" was observed on the surface of the epithelial cuff around the acrylic root tips. In cases where the root had been fractured during the extraction, the remnants caused a severe inflammation under the root tip.