The effect of splinting on tooth mobility. I. During initial therapy.
The purpose of this study was to assess whether fixed splinting aided in the reduction of posterior tooth mobility during initial therapy. A "split-mouth" approach was used in order to compare splinted segments with similar unsplinted segments. Seven patients were selected, all of whom demonstrated chronic destructive periodontitis and mobile teeth. Initial therapy, consisting of oral hygiene instruction, root curettage and occlusal adjustment, was performed over a 2-week period. At the time of initial therapy, teeth in contralateral segments were splinted with an intracoronal wire-and-acrylic splint. Tooth mobility and gingival inflammation were recorded in all four segments every 3 weeks for a 15-week monitoring period following initial therapy. The splints were removed before each data recording session and then replaced and the occlusion refined. Prophylaxis and oral hygiene instruction were repeated every second week throughout the monitoring period. The reduction in the mobility of teeth splinted during the entire therapy period did not differ from the reduction observed in the unsplinted segments. The reduction in tooth mobility observed in both the splinted and unsplinted segments over the 17-week period can be attributed to the improved occlusal relationships and reduction in inflammation.