Orthodontic movement of endodontically treated teeth: Contemporary views.

AIM: To collect and assess the contemporary data referring to orthodontic movement of endodontically treated teeth.METHOD: Relevant original and review articles were retrieved from PubMed, Medline, Cochrane, Embase, and Scopus databases, until February 2010. RESULTS: Endodontically treated teeth can be moved equally well to vital teeth and for the same distances, without more frequent adverse consequences. They present a smaller degree of apical resorption in mean values compared to vital teeth, however this difference is not regarded to be statistically or clinically significant. Root resorption seems to be related more to the severity of trauma and the stage of root development rather than orthodontic or surgical manipulations. The obturating material of choice in the event of endodontic treatment of teeth with incomplete apex as well as in cases of teeth with complete apex under orthodontic movement, seems to be Ca(OH)2, because of the evidence based action of Ca(OH)2 against the frequently observed root resorption. In cases of fractures, a 12 month waiting period is suggested before the start of orthodontic treatment, while in cases with no radiographic findings treatment can begin relatively immediately. CONCLUSIONS: Orthodontic movement of endodontically treated teeth is feasible without negative consequences to the apex. Orthodontic treatment prognosis of endodontically treated teeth depends on the type, the severity and the timing of trauma, as well as the management of the case by the team of therapists.