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Extraction of primary teeth – balance and compensation
Author(s) -
Rock W. P.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
international journal of paediatric dentistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.183
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1365-263X
pISSN - 0960-7439
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-263x.2002.332_2.x
Subject(s) - medicine , balance (ability) , compensation (psychology) , physical medicine and rehabilitation , social psychology , psychology
When a practitioner is faced with enforced extraction of a primary tooth it is often a dilemma whether to merely remove the unsaveable tooth , to extract a contralateral tooth from the same arch (balance), or to extract a tooth from the opposing arch (compensation). The following guidelines are intended to assist in making such a decision and to minimise the effect of space loss on the developing dentition. There have been no properly controlled prospective randomised studies into the consequences of early loss of primary teeth, probably due to the difficulty of recruiting subjects for such studies and the need to follow them for up to 10 years. The recommendations given are therefore based partly upon current clinical opinion, although this is supported where possible by the best available research data. There is a need for more research in the area. Consideration must always be given to the overall dental health and history of the child, which may over-ride purely orthodontic advice.