• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.127-133
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• 1998

An impacted tooth is defined pathologically as a tooth that remains under the mucosa of inside bone without eruption of the crown after a specific period of eruption. Clinically, the term includes those teeth, even before eruption period, that are not expected to erupt due to shape, position and alignment of tooth and lack of space. Canine is prone to impaction more than other teeth because it has the longest time to develop and a complex route from the place of formation to the site of eruption. The impaction incidence of maxillary canine is repoted 0.92$\sim$3.3% (Ferguson, 1990). In 1995 Orton reported that the incidence was 0.92$\sim$2.2% and palatal impaction was more frequent than labial impaction(85%:15%). In 1969 Johnston presented it was more common to woman than to man(3:1). The etiology includes systemic disease such as endocrine disorder, cleidocranial dysostosis, irradiation, Crouzon syndrome, ricketts, facial hemihypertrophy and hereditary and local problems such as ectopic position of the tooth, distance of tooth from its place of eruption, malformation of the tooth, presence of supernumerary teeth, trauma of tooth germ, infection of tooth germ, displacement of tooth germ or tooth by a neoplasm, ankylosis, overretention of deciduous predecessor, lack of space for the tooth in the dental arch and mucosal barrier due to gingival fibrosis. The maxillary canine is especially important as it has the longest root, provides guidance for lateral movement of the mandible and masticatory function and assumes an important role esthetically as it is located at mouth angle. If left untreated, it may cause migration and external, internal resorption of adjacent teeth, loss of arch length, formation of dentigerous cyst or tumors, infection and referred pain as well as malposition of the tooth. Therefore, periodic examination of the development and eruption of the maxillary canine is especially important in a growing child. This case study presents the results of treatment of palatally impacted maxillary canine utilizing surgical exposure and orthodontic tooth movement on patients visiting SNUDH dept. of pediatric dentistry.