Survival rates of hemisected teeth: An attempt to compare them with survival rates of alloplastic implants

Use of hemisection in an attempt to preserve multirooted teeth that have furcation involvement has increased in recent years. However, there are few long-term studies of the success of this treatment. Furthermore, it is difficult to compare results of different studies because of differences in the length of follow-up and the criteria for failure. Results of various studies were reduced to a common denominator to allow comparison. The compiled results of studies on hemisection revealed an average reported failure rate of 13.1%. This rate was compared with results of studies on implants; the failure rates of the two treatment alternatives are not substantially different. Thus, because hemisection is a relatively simple, inexpensive treatment with a good chance of success (given appropriate case selection), it should always be considered as an option before molar extraction.