Cemental tear - a series of 14 cases of surgical periodontal treatments with a follow-up of up to ten years.

Cemental tear is a relatively uncommon condition with low awareness among dentists. It can mimic other periodontal diseases as well as endodontic disease, and it should be part of the differential diagnosis. The total number of cases reported worldwide is still low and knowledge on conservative treatment prognosis is poor. This case series aims to report retrospectively the long-term results of teeth with cemental tear treated consecutively with periodontal surgery. Patients were managed between the years 2012-2023 in a specialist clinic in the north of Sweden. The treatment consisted of periodontal surgery with or without regenerative techniques, and when necessary, orthograde or retrograde endodontics. Fourteen patients (14 teeth), ranging from 36-85 years old, of which ten were male, were observed up to 131 months. Four teeth were extracted, all within the first 12 months, with clear signs of remaining infection. Three patients showed uncertain healing. One tooth was rescheduled for operation but in another location of the same tooth. The other six patients successfully healed, one after a re-operation. Conservative treatment of cemental tears has an acceptable prognosis, even in severely damaged teeth.