Retrospective Evaluation of the Gubernacular Tract in Impacted/Unerupted Teeth with Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

Abstract

Aim: Gubernaculum dentis guides the tooth eruption. This formation, which disappears after teething, continues to exist in impacted teeth. This study aimed to evaluate the gubernacular tract in patients with impacted/unerupted teeth who had previously received Cone-beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) for a variety of reasons. Material and Methods: In this study, the presence and characteristics of the gubernacular tract were evaluated according to age, gender, tooth groups, root development stages and positions of the teeth. 231 patients were included in this study. A total of 431 teeth were evaluated and the mean age of the patients was 28.0±0.90. Impacted teeth were classified according to their location. The presence and features of the gubernacular tract were evaluated using CBCT. Results: In the study, the presence of gubernacular tract was most common in canines. The mesioangular and vertical position of impacted teeth exhibited higher gubernacular tract presence, and these data were statistically significant. (P<0.05) Conclusion: This study stated that the frequency of incidence in the tooth groups was evaluated separately, it was determined that the incidence in canine teeth was significantly higher. Characteristics gubernacular tract such as no change, obliteration or contraction are more common in impacted teeth in vertical and mesioangular positions. This process may affect the impact of permanent teeth, but more studies with clinical follow-up are needed to reach definitive conclusions.