Management of immature necrotic permanent teeth with regenerative endodontic procedures - a review of literature

Immature necrotic permanent tooth presents a distinctive challenge for the endodontist. Various treatment modalities have been employed to create hard tissue barrier at the apex, which includes non-vital pulp therapy with calcium hydroxide, apexification with mineral trioxide aggregate, pulp revascularisation and regeneration. Regenerative endodontics is a novel modality which involves physiological replacement of the damaged structures of tooth like dentin, root and cells of the pulp-dentin complex. Numerous published case reports have revealed increased dentinal wall thickness, continued root development and apical closure, but there is still lack of sound scientific evidence regarding histological nature of the type of tissue. The current literature review was planned to summarise the evidence regarding the treatment of immature necrotic permanent teeth by regenerative endodontic procedures.