INTRODUCTION
Dental autotransplantation involves the replacement of missing or damaged teeth within the same oral cavity through the extraction of a healthy tooth and its subsequent placement into a prepared socket.
CASE DESCRIPTION
A 16-year-old male patient presented with pain and swelling in the right mandibular region at the oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic of Istanbul University Faculty of Dentistry. Upon intraoral examination, deep caries in tooth number 46 were found, deemed unrestorable. Radiological assessment revealed a kissing molar appearance between teeth 47 and 48. Subsequently, approximately 6 months after the extraction of tooth 46, a bone socket was prepared, and tooth 47 was autotransplanted. Regular monitoring ensued, revealing the transplanted tooth's continued functionality and retention over the subsequent 5-year follow-up period.
DISCUSSION
The success of autotransplantation hinges on patient factors, tooth positioning, root tip closure, and operational stage. Studies suggest that around 2/3 of the root should be developed for optimal outcomes, with vertically positioned teeth showing higher success rates when transplanted. In this instance, a distoangular positioned tooth with fully developed roots exhibited a 5-year survival post-autotransplantation into the socket.
CONCLUSION/CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE
The treatment of impacted molars that have occlusal surfaces contacting each other, which are referred to as kissing molars in literature, often involves extraction or, if they are in an appropriate position, orthodontically aligning them into straight position. In this case, achieving the patient's dentition was attempted through autotransplantation treatment, which carries a very low chance of success. In the literature review, no cases of treating kissing molars with autotransplantation were found.