Management of preeruptive intracoronal radiolucency (PEIR): a case series with up to 8 years follow-up

Preeruptive intracoronal radiolucency (PEIR) is a rare dental anomaly often incidentally detected during routine radiographic examinations. This condition manifests as a radiolucent lesion beneath the enamel–dentin junction of unerupted teeth, particularly in mandibular molars, posing diagnostic and management challenges due to its asymptomatic nature. The treatment of PEIR depends on the extent of the lesion and the degree of pulp involvement.
Case series: This case series reports on four patients with progressive PEIR. In Cases 1 and 2, lesions were incidentally discovered in panoramic radiographs during orthodontic planning (mandibular permanent second molars), and additional surgical exposure to access the lesion was required as teeth were only partially erupted. Interestingly, in Case 3, the PEIR was not visible in earlier radiographs though the crown of the tooth was already mineralized (mandibular permanent second molar). For Case 4, the tooth presented with symptoms of reversible pulpitis (mandibular permanent first molar). All lesions were treated with indirect pulp capping using biocompat-ible material. The patients were followed up for a period of up to 8 years to evaluate treatment success. Indirect pulp capping and restorations were found to be successful in all four cases in the last follow-up: 1 year (Case 2), 1.4 years (Case 4), 1.5 years (Case 1), and 8 years (Case 3).
Conclusion: This case series demonstrates the effectiveness of early intervention via surgical exposure and indirect pulp capping and restoration for managing severe cases of PEIR. However, further research with larger samples and long follow-up is necessary.