Short and Long Term Oral Hygiene Maintenance Protocols for Traumatic Dental Injuries

Ashwinirani SR,Girish Suragimath

doi:10.5772/intechopen.96043

Abstract

Traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) occur when a person undergoes trauma due to variety of reasons. Traumatic injuries are part of the growing up years and can have ever lasting wounds with scarring on the affected individuals. Treatment and rehabilitation of the teeth with traumatic injuries are essential for long term survival of the teeth. Immediate care, appropriate diagnosis and treatment with comprehensive follow-up are essential for a favorable prognosis of the affected teeth. A coordinated effort from different specialties including general dentist, oral radiologist, pediatric dentist, periodontist, oral surgeon, orthodontist and endodontist is essential for success of the treatment. Team efforts involving these different specialists will help the patient to receive successful long term outcome. Proper oral hygiene maintenance during and after traumatic dental injury, is required to stop the deterioration of the tooth and periodontal structures. The caregiver in children and the adult with traumatic dental injuries should be educated and guided about the proper oral hygiene techniques especially in the areas with dental injury. Dentist must be aware of the treatments rendered to the teeth with trauma and should have up-to-date knowledge of the oral hygiene measures to be inculcated in the subjects with dental trauma. This chapter highlights the oral hygiene measures to be followed by the subjects with TDIs and also includes measures to be followed by the dentist in such a scenario.

Highlights

Other reasons of traumatic injury can be domestic abuse in adults and child abuse in children. Anterior teeth in both primary and permanent dentition are most commonly affected by dental trauma
In most of the countries worldwide, no attempt has been made by the government or other dental organizations to educate people on the management of dental trauma
Research conducted to assess the treatment and management of Traumatic dental injuries (TDIs)’s have shown that the treatments provided at emergency care units are often inadequate and patients remain unsatisfied with care provided

Summary

Introduction

Trauma to the hard and soft tissues occurs when a subject undergoes injuries due to motor vehicle accidents, physical fights; self-infested wounds, assaults, bicycle accidents or while playing sports. Other reasons of traumatic injury can be domestic abuse in adults and child abuse in children Anterior teeth in both primary and permanent dentition are most commonly affected by dental trauma. School going children up to 25% experience dental trauma and 33% of adult’s less than 19 years of age have permanent dentition trauma [3] Incisor teeth both in maxilla and mandible are the most commonly affected teeth with highest incidence in maxillary central incisors. Appropriate management of patients with dental trauma requires coordinated efforts of different specialties including general dentists, oral radiologist, pediatric dentist, periodontist, oral surgeon and endodontist. Team efforts involving these different specialists will help the patient to receive successful long term outcome. Dentist must educate about oral hygiene maintenance and special instructions to be followed during TDI’s to patients

Epidemiology

Management of traumatic dental injuries

Emergency phase

Immediate follow-up phase

Restorative phase

Rehabilitation phase

Maintenance phase

Manual toothbrush

Powered/electric toothbrush

Sonic, ultrasonic and ionic toothbrushes

Interdental cleaning aids

Tongue cleaners and mouthwashes