A fourteen-year follow-up study of traumatic injuries to the permanent dentition

Abstract

The frequency of traumatic injuries to permanent teeth was studied in a Swiss population sample consisting of 262 children. The prevalence of injuries was 10.81 percent. The children (106 girls and 156 boys) ranged in age from 6-18 years; the boy/girl ratio was 1.47:1. The largest number of injuries for boys was found between the ages of 9 and 10 years. The teeth most commonly injured were the maxillary central incisors (80 percent), and the most frequent type of injury was an enamel-dentin fracture without pulp exposure (53 percent). After the emergency treatment, 42 percent of the patients were followed for study from as early as one month up to 9 years. The recall evaluations show that the prognosis was extremely favorable for enamel fractures only, while pulp necrosis developed in 11.8 percent of the enamel-dentin fractures. Fourteen percent of the traumatic injuries were luxation injuries and, of these, 46 percent required endodontic therapy.