Allogeneic tooth transplantation in the dog

Allogeneic tooth transplantation was evaluated as a functional and aesthetic treatment for dental fracture in the dog. Of 7 dogs that received tooth transplants, 5 were research animals and 2 were clinical patients. Canine teeth were transplanted immediately after extraction in the research dogs. Endodontic therapy had been performed on the affected canine tooth of one clinical patient. The other clinical patient had bilateral maxillary canine fractures 2 months earlier. One of the research dog transplants failed at 3 weeks as a result of improper surgical technique. Four of the research dogs had a solid implant for 18 months, after which time the dogs were euthanatized serially. All transplanted teeth were anchored firmly into the alveoli, but were nonviable. Root resorption, with bone replacement, was first noticed at 24 months. The transplanted tooth in the first clinical patient remained functional for 3 months, after which time the tooth was fractured. The right canine transplant in the second clinical patient failed by 3 months, probably because of preexisting periapical inflammation. The left transplanted tooth remains stable at 38 months. It was concluded that allogeneic tooth transplantation may have merit as a rapid and inexpensive method for replacement of fractured teeth in the dog. Function is compromised gradually as a result of root resorption and ankylosis, with tooth fracture likely to occur after 2 years.