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16 I I case report _ revascularisation blood clot successfully produced to the level of the cemento-enameljunction,followedbyanMTAsealin the cervical area and a bonded resin coronal restora- tion above it. In the other incisor, bleeding induction wasunsuccessfulandanapicalMTAplugwasplaced. One week later, the sinus tracts had disappeared and the little girl was referred back to her dentist for appropriate restoration (Figs. 4a & b). One year later, the patient returned for her sched- uled follow-up examination. The radiographic image showedhealing,rootwallthickeningandrootlength- ening of the left central maxillary incisor, indicating thattherootcanalhadbeenrevascularisedwithvital tissue (Figs. 5a–c). Unfortunately, the post space of the right central maxillary incisor had been left empty.Thepatientwasreferredbacktoherdentistfor retreatment of the restoration. _Conclusion Revascularisation research has introduced me to a whole new area of great interest. I have learnt that it is important to distinguish between revascularisa- tion and pulp regeneration. “When looking for the ‘bag of gold coins from the Emperor’ we must separate the treatment of immature teeth from stem cell research. Both topics are valid topics for research but with very different objectives and pathways.” These are the exact words of Prof Larz Spångberg in his editorial titled The emperor’s new cloth, which was published in Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiol- ogy and Endodontology 5/2009. Prof Spångberg goes on to say that “there is much indirect evidence thatrevascularizationofnecroticpulpspacecontent will result in fibrous connective tissue with cellular/ acellular apposition on the root canal walls.” Acoupleofmonthslater,astudyondogsbyWang et al. provided direct evidence on the importance of the blood clot as a scaffold for the stimulation of the revascularisation process. Their histological findings foundboneingrowthinthelumenofinfectedimma- ture dog teeth and cementum on the inner root wall, which was the reason for the thickening of the root. Furtherstudiesareprobablyunderwaytofindnew and more predictable scaffolds for tissue ingrowth. Untiladefinitepredictablerevascularisationprotocol is proposed, the procedure described in this paper could be safely attempted in most cases. An apical MTA plug can always be performed, if no signs of regeneration are present after three months._ Editorial note: A list of references is available from the author. roots1_2011 Dr Antonis Chaniotis 140 El.VenizelouAv. Stoa Karantinou,1st floor 176 76 Kallithea Athens Greece antch@otenet.gr www.endotreatment.gr _contact roots Figs. 3a–c_One year after the initial visit. Figs. 4a & b_Post-treatment. Fig. 5a_Post-treatment radiograph of tooth #21 after the revascularisation attempt. Fig. 5b_One-year follow-up radiograph indicating successful revascularisation and dentin wall thickening. Fig. 5c_Clinical image after the successful revascularisation procedure. Fig. 4a Fig. 5a Fig. 5b Fig. 5c Fig. 4b Fig. 3a Fig. 3b Fig. 3c