Epidemiology of traumatic dental injuries – a 12 year review of the literature

Abstract

A traumatic dental injury (TDI) is a public dental health problem because of its frequency, occurrence at a young age, costs and that treatment may continue for the rest of the patient's life. The aim of this paper is to present a12-year, international review of the prevalence and incidence of TDIs including some background factors and a quick, easy method in registering TDIs to receive a primary understanding of the extent and severity of dental trauma. The databases of Medline, Cochrane, SSCI, SCI and CINAHL from 1995 to the present were used. The results indicate a high prevalence of TDIs in primary and permanent teeth and that TDIs exists throughout the world. The prevalence show that one third of all preschool children have suffered a TDI involving the primary dentition, one fourth of all school children and almost one third of adults have suffered a trauma to the permanent dentition, but variations exist both between and within countries. Activities of a person and the environment are probably more determining factors of TDIs than gender and age. A risk profile why some patients sustain multiple dental trauma episodes (MDTE) is necessary to present. All dental clinics should have a prospective ongoing registration of TDIs. The NUC method (N = no TDI, U = uncomplicated TDI, C = complicated TDI) presents if there has been any TDI and the severity of that trauma. The trend of TDIs seems to be stable on a high level with variations largely reflecting local differences. Because of the complexity of TDIs, every dental clinic should have a prospective ongoing registration of number and severity of TDIs.