Treatment of teeth with insufficient clinical crown. Long-term clinical outcomes of a minimally invasive crown lengthening approach: a retrospective analysis.

Aims: Aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the incidence of complications and to determine the long-term survival rate of teeth with severely compromised clinical crowns treated with minimally invasive crown lengthening (MICL) and restorative treatment.

Methods: A sample of 112 teeth in 86 patients was treated with MICL and restorative dentistry. Endodontic and orthodontic therapy was applied when needed. Clinical outcomes were assessed at baseline, 1 year and long-term.

Results: The application of MICL resulted in very limited radiographic bone resection (RBR, 1 ± 0.1 mm on average). Limited local inflammation and shallow probing depth were detected at 1 year (2.6 ± 0.5 mm) and long-term (2.9 ± 1.0 mm). Most of the teeth (76.8%) maintained dental and periodontal health over time. The negative events observed in 26 teeth were caries (8.9%), fractures (7.1%), endodontic problems (1.8%), periodontal problems (4.5%) and restoration problems / complications (0.9%). The survival rate was 90.2%.

Conclusions: the outcomes of this long-term retrospective analysis (8.9 ± 0.9 years, range 8 to 10) show high tooth survival rates and low incidence of complications of teeth treated with MICL and restoration of the clinical crown.