Dentoalveolar trauma in Glasgow: an audit of mechanism and injury

Abstract

Traumatic dental injuries in children often require multiple follow-up visits to the dentist and may have long-term consequences for the developing dentition. The aim of this audit was to examine age, gender, location, time of year, mechanism of injury and type of injury sustained in relation to dentoalveolar trauma in children attending the paediatric dental trauma clinic at Glasgow Dental Hospital from 2002 to 2004, and to compare our findings with data in the published literature. Males suffered 60% of all dental trauma, 79% of sporting injuries and 85% of assaults. The injuries in males were more severe, representing 65% of enamel dentine and pulp fractures, 100% of crown root fractures and 66% of crown root and pulp fractures. A peak for trauma was seen in the 8-11-year-old group (43%). The majority of injuries in the under four age group resulted from falls (87%). Taken as a whole, falls accounted for 49%, sports related injuries 18%, bicycle and scooter 13%, assault 7%, and road traffic accidents 1.5% of all injuries. They also accounted for a far higher percentage of intrusive luxations (67%). The largest proportion of injuries occurred during the summer months (33%). Sixty-four percent of children suffered trauma to more than one tooth. Fifty-eight percent of injuries involved the dental hard tissues and pulp and the majority of these (82%) were crown fractures. Most subjects (82%) suffered trauma to their periodontal tissues, (26% concussion or subluxation, 26% lateral luxation and 23% avulsion). Injuries to the supporting bone were uncommon. Sixty-six percent of all injuries occurred outdoors. Our findings were similar to a number of published studies, but in contrast to several others. More consistency is required in the collection and reporting of trauma data to be able to draw meaningful conclusions by comparison.

Frequency of root resorption following trauma to permanent teeth

“…Such injuries are commonly related to falls, or traffic-or sport-related accidents (3)(4)(5)(6). Dental injuries occur more frequently in children between 8 and 15 years of age, although lately there has been a reported increase among patients older than 18 years (7,8).…”

Tooth loss and alveolar remodeling in Sinosaurus triassicus (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the lower jurassic strata of the Lufeng Basin, China

“…Broken tips of teeth are sometimes also found in the bonebeds, and rare examples of broken theropod teeth still embedded in prey bone demonstrate a clear relationship between feeding and tooth avulsion [25,[43][44][45]. Although direct evidence of trauma (retained tooth fragments, healed fractures) was not observed in ZLJT01, traumatic tooth loss does not necessarily involve the surrounding bone [38]. Given the known relationship between theropod feeding behavior and loss of replacement teeth, tooth loss in ZLJT01 was not likely a result of trauma to the tooth crown alone.…”

“…Trauma can occur with or without damage to the surrounding bone and soft-tissue [38]. Although obvious indicators of dental trauma, such as retained tooth fragments and alveolar or jaw fracture, were not observed in ZLJT01, theropods frequently damaged teeth antemortem, presumably as a result of feeding activity [39].…”

Alveolar Bone Fracture: Pathognomonic Sign for Clinical Diagnosis

“…The second type can be defined as regional, and is generally easier to detect since the entire dento-alveolar segment is dislocated. Dentoalveolar traumas involving multiple teeth are not common, and mostly occur after severe trauma events such as serious sport injury, violence, or traffic accident [1, 2]. The highest prevalence of oral trauma is among children and adolescents during dental and alveolar development [3].…”

“…Wright et al . [1] reported a frequency of 16% of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) in adolescents in the group of 12- to 15-years of age. In a 12-year systematic review of the literature regarding prevalence and incidence of TDIs, Glendor [4] stated that TDIs usually affect a single tooth, but can also involve the anterior teeth, and particularly, maxillary incisors.…”