From Volume 4, Issue 2, April 2011 | Pages 56-60
Canine impaction is not an uncommon finding in the dental literature, but transmigration of mandibular canines is a rare phenomenon, and some of them are far more extreme than others. We report an extremely rare case of bilateral transmigration of impacted permanent canines crossing the midline of the mandible.
Transmigration is the movement of an impacted tooth across the midline. Several terms have been used, such as anomalous, malpositioned or displaced tooth, although in 1964, Ando et al1 were the first to use the more widely accepted term, ‘transmigration’, which is perhaps the most appropriate term. In 1971, Tarsitano et al2 used the term ‘transmigration’ to describe the displacement and migration of an impacted tooth across the midline to the opposite side of the jaw. Later, Javid3 expanded the definition to include cases in which more than half of the tooth had passed through the midline. However, Joshi4 felt that the tendency of a canine to cross the barrier of the mandibular midline suture is a more important consideration than the distance travelled. Moreover, the stage of transmigration of the tooth at the time of examination is a determining factor in the distance travelled. Such displacement may occur spontaneously, or as a result of a localized pathological lesion.
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