Successful treatment of pulpal-periodontal combined lesion in a birooted maxillary lateral incisor with concomitant palato-radicular groove. A case report

Palato-radicular groove (PRG) is a common developmental anomaly of maxillary incisors, whereas PRG associated with, a birooted maxillary incisor is relatively infrequent. The clinical significance of PRG is related to the incidence of localized periodontitis with or without pulpal pathosis, depending on the depth, extent, and complexity of the groove. Successful treatments of PRG in single-rooted incisors have been reported in the literature. However, treatment of PRG in birooted incisors has often been ineffective. This case report describes a pulpal-periodontal combined lesion occurring on a birooted maxillary left lateral incisor with concomitant PRG in a 13-year-old boy which was successfully treated by conventional endodontic therapy in combination with periodontal treatment including accessory root resection, radiculoplasty and bone grafting. Seven-year follow-up is included in this report. The basis of a successful result is accurate diagnosis and elimination of inflammatory irritants and contributory factors. Awareness of the existence of this abnormality by the clinician is important. J Periodontol 1999;70:1540-1546.