Multidisciplinary assessment and treatment of missing maxillary lateral incisors. A review of the literature

Objectives. The purpose of this work was to identify the most effective treatment plan for missing maxillary lateral incisors by means of a review of the relevant literature published on this topic during the last 10 years. Material and methods. Using the PubMed and Cochrane Library search engines, we selected articles published between 1999 and 2009 with the following Keywords: "congenitally missing lateral incisors"; "treatment option"; "long term clinical results"; "soft tissue aspects"; and "bone level". Fifty articles were selected: 20 were eliminated; and 30 articles were considered relevant. Ultimately; only 11 articles proved useful for identification of the best treatment option for patients with missing maxillary lateral incisors. Results. Our review confirms that the most frequently used approach in patients with missing maxillary lateral incisors is the multidisciplinary plan (orthodontics, implantology, prosthetics), but the current trend is to use orthodontic space closure alone whenever possible. Conclusions. Treatment options for patients with missing maxillary lateral incisors include space closure or space reopening, and insertion of implants. Both options can be considered effective from both the functional and esthetic points of view.