Canine Migration in the Mandible - a Multidisciplinary Problem

The lower canines are the only permanent human teeth that can migrate to a position distant from the tooth bud. Transmigration is a phenomenon associated with an impacted canine crossing the midline of the mandible, with concurrent pathological factors. Among the causes of canine impaction are local factors such as a lack of space in the dental arch, incorrect order of tooth eruption, supranumerary teeth, odontomas, persistent deciduous teeth and trauma in the area of the alveolar process. General factors include (among others) heredity, vitamin deficiency, endocrine disorders and degeneration of fibrous bone. Inserting a transmigrating canine into the dental arch is possible if its root apex has moved no further than the area of the adjacent lateral incisor root apex, or if its crown does not exceed the area of the incisors on the opposite side. In cases when there is adequate space in the dental arch for the impacted canine, autotransplantation is possible (Adv Clin Exp Med 2011, 20, 6, 767-770).