The present study examines the effects of orthodontic treatment of surgically exposed impacted upper canines or ectopically erupted upper canines to periodontal condition and whether various opening procedures have significant difference in postoperative periodontal status.

The subjects included 23 orthodontic patients(7 men, 16 women) with unilateral upper canine impaction treated either with closed eruption technique(group I), with apically positioned flap procedure(group II), and those with canines ectopically erupted through keratinized gingiva(group III). In each subject, the ectopic canine was orthodontically aligned, and changes in periodontal tissue were assessed by measuring keratinized gingival width, attached gingival width, probing depth and bone probing depth.

In all three groups, the width of keratinized gingiva was preserved while showed no signs of detrimental periodontal condition such as gingival recession. In all three groups, no significant difference in periodontal pocket depth from control was observed. The width of attached gingiva was significantly greater in patients treated with apically positioned flap procedure(group II) than in patients on other groups.