ROOT INVAGINATION TREATMENT - A CONSERVATIVE APPROACH IN ENDODONTICS

The occurrence of dens invaginatus, a developmental anomaly, is report ed to be 0.04 to 10%. Treatment modalities, such as extraction, endodo ntic surgery, and conventional instrumentation of the defect and/or th e pulp canal, have been reported. Most suggested treatment modalities are based on the assumption that the tissue inside the invagination co mmunicates with the pulp tissue. However, histological studies show th at depending on the type of invagination, the entrapped tissue is most ly connective tissue which may or may not contain pulp tissue componen ts. In situations where the invaginated tissue is contaminated and yet no communication with the pulp cavity exists, it is possible to instr ument and disinfect the invagination without affecting the pulp and sa crificing tooth vitality. Such treatment will be referred to as ''root invagination treatment.'' A case is described where tooth vitality wa s preserved when only the invagination was treated.