Which statement about intrusive luxation management is true?

Prepare for the American Board of Pediatric Dentistry Oral Boards. Utilize flashcards and multiple-choice questions with hints and explanations to ace your exam!

Multiple Choice

Which statement about intrusive luxation management is true?

Intrusive luxation management depends on how developed the tooth is and how much it has been displaced. When the tooth has an open apex (immature tooth), the pulp has a better chance to heal and revascularize, and mild injuries can sometimes be left to erupt spontaneously. But as the degree of intrusion becomes very large, especially more than about 7 mm, spontaneous repositioning is unlikely to occur and the tooth’s position and the eruption path can be compromised. In that scenario, actively repositioning the tooth—either surgically or with orthodontic forces—corrects its position, restores occlusion, and reduces risks of complications like improper eruption, ankylosis, or root resorption. After repositioning, splinting is used to stabilize the tooth during healing. The other statements don’t fit because mild intrusion in an immature tooth may be observed for spontaneous eruption, but not when intrusion is severe; immediate root canal therapy is not automatically required for a small intrusion in a mature tooth; and splinting is generally indicated after repositioning to stabilize the tooth, not “never needed.”

Intrusive luxation management depends on how developed the tooth is and how much it has been displaced. When the tooth has an open apex (immature tooth), the pulp has a better chance to heal and revascularize, and mild injuries can sometimes be left to erupt spontaneously. But as the degree of intrusion becomes very large, especially more than about 7 mm, spontaneous repositioning is unlikely to occur and the tooth’s position and the eruption path can be compromised. In that scenario, actively repositioning the tooth—either surgically or with orthodontic forces—corrects its position, restores occlusion, and reduces risks of complications like improper eruption, ankylosis, or root resorption. After repositioning, splinting is used to stabilize the tooth during healing.

The other statements don’t fit because mild intrusion in an immature tooth may be observed for spontaneous eruption, but not when intrusion is severe; immediate root canal therapy is not automatically required for a small intrusion in a mature tooth; and splinting is generally indicated after repositioning to stabilize the tooth, not “never needed.”

More practice questions