Detection of the gubernacular canal and its attachment to the dental follicle may indicate an abnormal eruption status

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate and compare the detection of gubernacular canals (GC) and their characteristics in normal and abnormal tooth eruption. Materials and Methods: Patients with unerupted teeth were classified according to sex and age. Each tooth was classified according to dental group, eruption status, formation status, angulation, and GC detection. The opening of the GC in the alveolar crest and the attachment sites in relation to the dental follicle were assessed. Data were analyzed by the chi-square and Kruskal-Wallis tests, with a significance level of 5%. Results: Cone-beam computed tomography scans of 159 patients were evaluated. The final sample (N = 598) consisted of 423 teeth with normal eruption, 140 impacted teeth, and 35 teeth with delayed eruption. The overall detection rate of GC was 90.6%. These rates were 94.1%, 87.1%, and 62.9% for normal eruption, impacted teeth, and delayed eruption, respectively. GC detection rates were higher in the early stages of tooth formation in normal tooth eruption and in impacted teeth. The rate of GC detection was even lower in delayed teeth when they were angulated. Unusual attachment sites of the GC to the dental follicle were associated with abnormal eruption status. Conclusions: The results of the present study suggest that GC characteristics may indicate an abnormal eruption status.

Case Report: Unusual association of gubernacular canal, supernumerary tooth and odontoma with an impacted canine on cone beam computed tomography

“…Gaˆeta-Araujo H et al reported that the most communal attachment site of GC was to the occlusal side of the dental sac of the unerupted tooth (93.2%) and was classified as a usual attachment. These findings were in agreement with our case, where we also found the GT to be attached to the occlusal aspect of the dental sac of the supernumerary tooth 25 .…”

“…Oda M. et al 24 suggested that the presence of and contact with the gubernacular tract (GT) should be added as a characteristic CT finding of some types odontogenic masses including dentigerous cysts, calcifying odontogenic cysts (Gorlin Cyst), odontomas, Adenomatoid Odontogenic Tumor and perhaps others. Moreover, they concluded that dentists should pay more attention to the association between the GT and odontogenic masses 24,25 . Our case demonstrated an association between the GT and the odontoma where the odontoma was inside the GT of the supernumerary tooth with the same spatial relationship in agreement with Oda M. et al 24 which reports that the majority of odontoma cases (about 70%) detected with CBCT were inside the GT of the unerupted teeth (Figure 2d).…”

Isorhamnetin 3-O-neohesperidoside promotes the resorption of crown-covered bone during tooth eruption by osteoclastogenesis

“…Increased RANKL in the coronal dental follicle induced by isorhamnetin 3-o-neohesperid further promoted crown-covered bone resorption in vivo. The dental follicle is essential for tooth eruption 30,31 . Disturbance in the functions of dental follicles results in delayed tooth eruption in cleidocranial dysplasia (CCD) patients 32,33 .…”

Overview of Radiological Studies on Visualization of Gubernaculum Tracts of Permanent Teeth

“…Histologically, the GD is composed of a fibrous band called the gubernacular cord (GCo), which typically consists of the epithelial remnants of the dental lamina, as well as a bony channel around the GCo connecting the pericoronal follicular tissue of the successional or accessional tooth with the overlying gingiva that opens to the alveolar bone crest [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]; this bony channel is known as the gubernaculum tract (GT) or gubernacular canal. However, few clinical studies have focused on the presence, appearance, and importance of these structures, which could be related to the normal eruption of teeth [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. One possible explanation for the lack of studies is that the GT is difficult to visualize on two-dimensional radiographs, such as dental and panoramic radiographs, because it is very thin (1–3 mm in diameter) and therefore often superimposed on images of deciduous teeth and trabeculae [ 4 , 5 , 6 ].…”

“…However, few clinical studies have focused on the presence, appearance, and importance of these structures, which could be related to the normal eruption of teeth [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. One possible explanation for the lack of studies is that the GT is difficult to visualize on two-dimensional radiographs, such as dental and panoramic radiographs, because it is very thin (1–3 mm in diameter) and therefore often superimposed on images of deciduous teeth and trabeculae [ 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Therefore, the GD has not received sufficient attention in dental fields such as pediatric dentistry and oral and maxillofacial radiology.…”