ASSESSMENT OF PREVALENCE OF PATHOLOGIC MIGRATION OF ANTERIOR TEETH IN A SAMPLE OF INDIAN SUBJECTS WITH MODERATE TO SEVERE PERIODONTITIS

Abstract

The dispacement of teeth from their normal position in the dental arch is referred to as Pathologic migration and is a commonly challenging clinical situation encountered by clinicians. The anterior tooth of the dentition are most commonly affected and it may manifest in the form of diastema, extrusion, rotation, facial flaring or drifting. The time consuming complex therapeutic management of this condition warrants early detection and elimination of causative factors. Objectives- To assess the prevalence and predominant types of  pathologic migration in a sample of Indian subjects and to compare the severity of periodontal destruction in migrated and non migrated contralateral teeth. Methods- A total of 486 patients were screened for the incidence of periodontitis ,out of which 149 patients with moderate to severe periodontitis were further evaluated for presence of pathlogic migration of anterior teeth. The incidence of different types  of Pathologic tooth migration (PMT) was determined and the relationship between pathologic migration and attachment loss was analysed using statistical methods. Results- A high percentage of patients (30.65%) were suffering from moderate to severe periodontitis. The most frequent forms of PMT included facial flaring followed by diastema formation. The teeth affected by pathologic migration had significantly more attachment loss when compared to contralateral tooth without migration. Conclusion- The destruction of attachment appartus found in periodontal disease may play a major role in the etiology of Pathologic tooth migration (PMT).