Avulsion of permanent teeth is one of the most serious dental injuries. Prompt and correct emergency management is essential for attaining the best outcome after this injury. The International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) has developed these Guidelines as a consensus statement after a comprehensive review of the dental literature and working group discussions. It represents the current best evidence and practice based on that literature search and expert opinions. Experienced researchers and clinicians from various specialties and the general dentistry community were included in the working group. In cases where the published data did not appear conclusive, recommendations were based on consensus opinions or majority decisions of the working group. They were then reviewed and approved by the members of the IADT Board of Directors. The purpose of these Guidelines is to provide clinicians with the most widely accepted and scientifically plausible approaches for the immediate or urgent care of avulsed permanent teeth. The IADT does not, and cannot, guarantee favorable outcomes from adherence to the Guidelines. However, the IADT believes that their application can maximize the probability of favorable outcomes.

Traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) of permanent teeth occur frequently in children and young adults. Crown fractures and luxations of these teeth are the most commonly occurring of all dental injuries. Proper diagnosis, treatment planning, and follow up are important for achieving a favorable outcome. Guidelines should assist dentists and patients in decision making and in providing the best care possible, both effectively and efficiently. The International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) has developed these Guidelines as a consensus statement after a comprehensive review of the dental literature and working group discussions. Experienced researchers and clinicians from various specialties and the general dentistry community were included in the working group. In cases where the published data did not appear conclusive, recommendations were based on the consensus opinions of the working group. They were then reviewed and approved by the members of the IADT Board of Directors. These Guidelines represent the best current evidence based on literature search and expert opinion. The primary goal of these Guidelines is to delineate an approach for the immediate or urgent care of TDIs. In this first article, the IADT Guidelines cover the management of fractures and luxations of permanent teeth. The IADT does not, and cannot, guarantee favorable outcomes from adherence to the Guidelines. However, the IADT believes that their application can maximize the probability of favorable outcomes.

Traumatic injuries to the primary dentition present special problems that often require far different management when compared to that used for the permanent dentition. The International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) has developed these Guidelines as a consensus statement after a comprehensive review of the dental literature and working group discussions. Experienced researchers and clinicians from various specialties and the general dentistry community were included in the working group. In cases where the published data did not appear conclusive, recommendations were based on the consensus opinions or majority decisions of the working group. They were then reviewed and approved by the members of the IADT Board of Directors. The primary goal of these Guidelines is to provide clinicians with an approach for the immediate or urgent care of primary teeth injuries based on the best evidence provided by the literature and expert opinions. The IADT cannot, and does not, guarantee favorable outcomes from strict adherence to the Guidelines; however, the IADT believes their application can maximize the probability of favorable outcomes.

The majority of TDI were minor injuries. The relative frequencies of injury types varied among age groups. Combination injuries were observed in one-third of the traumatized teeth and occurred most frequently in teeth with concussion, intrusion, and subluxation.

No response to EPT at the initial examination or a concomitant crown fracture significantly increased the risk of PN in teeth with concussion injury and mature root development. If both risk factors were present there was a synergetic effect.

Diagnosis and treatment for traumatic dental injuries are very complex owing to the multiple trauma entities represented by six luxation types and nine fracture types affecting both the primary and the permanent dentition. When it is further considered that fracture and luxation injuries are often combined, the result is that more than 100 trauma scenarios exist, when the two dentitions are combined. Each of these trauma scenarios has a specific treatment demand and prospect for healing. With such a complexity in diagnosis and treatment, it is obvious that even experienced practitioners may have problems in selecting proper treatment for some of these trauma types. To remedy this situation, an Internet-based knowledge base consisting of 4000 dental trauma cases with long-term follow up is now available to the public and the professions on the Internet using the address http://www.DentalTraumaGuide.org. It is the aspiration that the use of this Guide may lead the practitioner to offer an evidence-based diagnosis and treatment.

Over 80% of the intruded primary teeth re-erupted spontaneously. However, nearly one-third of the teeth showed complications such as pulp infection/periapical inflammation or ankylosis, which could potentially affect the development of the permanent incisor. Therefore, patients should be monitored regularly, especially during the first year after injury, to diagnose and treat complications in time.

Background/Aims: There are numerous treatment options following traumatic dental