THE INFLUENCE OF OCCLUSAL TRAUMA ON ROOT RESORPTION ASSOCIATED WITH PERIODONTAL DISEASE. A MICROSCOPIC STUDY

Radicular resorption and reduction of reparative capacity are related to the severity of the periodontal disease. In the teeth with compromised periodontal support, which involves the alteration of the ligament, as it occurs in periodontal disease, stress during mastication becomes excessive. The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of occlusal forces on the radicular resorption of teeth with periodontal disease and the quantification of radicular resorption on teeth with and without occlusal contact. Material and Method: For this study, 66 teeth (22 premolars and 44 molars) with periodontal disease were used. Each tooth was then cut into two halves in the mid-distal sense, dehydrated in alcohol and then cleaned in toluene and embedded in paraffin. An average of 200 sections (1200 lm per tooth) were analyzed with an Olympus Bx40 microscope. The image was then analyzed with a software program (MICROIMAGE 3.0., Hamburg, Germany). Results. In the microscopy analysis, radicular resorption was found in all the studied teeth. Periodontally affected teeth showed significantly higher values for both the surface (p = 0.024) and the resorption volume (p = 0.003) compared to teeth without periodontal disease. The percentage of resorbed surface and volume was significantly higher in teeth that showed an antagonist compared to teeth without any antagonist. Conclusions. The results of this study suggest that traumatic forces exerted on teeth with loss of attachment generate a degree of radicular resorption and an accelaration of periodontal disease.