Retention of Primary Second Molars without a Permanent Successor: A Review Article

Each deciduous tooth passes through a normal exfoliation process, but occasionally the deciduous tooth may retain its place beyond the normal time of exfoliation. Persistence of deciduous tooth may occur due to a variety of reasons. The purpose of this review article is to provide information regarding the retention of the primary second molars, the etiology of primary teeth retention and the consequences of their persistence, additionally discuss the preferences of management of the retained primary teeth. This review showed that the retention of primary teeth is an important subject that each general practitioner should notice since it could has both undesirable aesthetic and functional effects on the individual's occlusion.