Question

A 9-year-old child suffered trauma leading to the avulsion of the upper left central incisor. Before reaching the dental clinic, in which of the following storage media should the tooth ideally be kept to preserve periodontal ligament vitality?

• A. Saliva
• B. Saline
• C. Milk
• D. Tap water

Hint:

Avulsed tooth? Keep it in milk if HBSS is not available — it preserves PDL cells best among common options.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Importance of Periodontal Ligament (PDL) Vitality.
In cases of tooth avulsion, the survival of periodontal ligament cells is critical for successful reimplantation.
Dry storage leads to rapid death of PDL cells.
Step 2: Ideal Properties of Storage Medium.
An ideal storage medium should have appropriate pH, osmolarity, and minimal bacterial contamination.
It should help maintain cell viability until reimplantation.
Step 3: Evaluation of Options.
Saliva is readily available but contains bacteria and is not ideal.
Saline is better than saliva but lacks nutrients for prolonged storage.
Milk has suitable osmolarity and pH, is readily available, and helps preserve PDL cell vitality.
Tap water is hypotonic and can cause cell lysis.
Step 4: Conclusion.
Therefore, milk is the ideal readily available storage medium to preserve periodontal ligament vitality before reaching the clinic.