Effect of Splinting on Periodontal Health- A Review

Abstract

Periodontal disease impairs tooth support and permits secondary trauma to occur. As a consequence, teeth may loosen, and the alveolar bone may be subjected to additional damage. One of the common causes of tooth loss is a slow, deteriorating response to periodontitis. Hence the reduction of mobility is an important objective of periodontal therapy. In an effort to reduce the tooth loss due to the weakened periodontium, various treatments have emerged to provide a possible solution. The prognosis of periodontally involved teeth depends often on the initial mobility and whether it can be altered by treatment. One of the methods to retain the mobile, periodontically affected tooth is by splinting. Splinting simply refers to a method of stabilizing and fixing the mobile teeth. However, splinting by itself does not reverse the damages caused to the periodontium but rather it is a method which maintains the periodontal status and helps healing. The aim of this article is to do a literature review the effect of splinting on periodontal health.