Sealing of root perforation with glass ionomer cement: a case report

Abstract

Despite the development of endodontic therapy, adverse complications can arise during treatment, resulting in a questionable prognosis; root perforation is one such complication. Root perforations located along different thirds of the root canal are associated with practitioner error during the operative stages of endodontic treatment, particularly with failure to observe the anatomic singularities of different tooth types. Various materials have been suggested and used to repair root canal perforations, including calcium hydroxide, silver amalgam, mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), hydroxyapatite, and glass ionomer cement. This report describes the clinical management of a maxillary second premolar in which periapical radiography showed satisfactory canal obturation, but with a lateral root perforation present at the cervical level. Initial treatment involved curettage and sealing of the perforated area with resin-modified glass ionomer cement, followed by composite-resin reconstruction of the crown. There was favorable clinical and radiographic progression at 1- and 2-year follow-up. We thus conclude that tooth longevity can be prolonged even in the presence of a root perforation.