Traumatic dental injuries in adults attending a London-based trauma clinic in the UK: a seven-year survey

Abstract

Introduction This survey reports the incidence of traumatic dental injuries in an adult population attending an adult dental trauma clinic in a London teaching hospital.Materials and methods Retrospective data were collected from patients attending an adult dental trauma clinic between 2012 and 2018.Results In total, 1,769 patients attended, with more men seen (1,030; 58.2%) compared to women (739; 41.8%) and this was statistically significant (p <0.05). The most common aetiological factor was an accidental fall (728; 41.15%), followed by assaults (413; 23.35%), bicycle accidents (253; 14.3%), sports injuries (132; 7.46%) and road traffic accidents (84; 4.75%). Lateral luxation (833) was the most common traumatic injury and this was followed by avulsions (362; 17%). Enamel-dentine fractures were the most common type of fracture injury (1,273; 64%).Discussion This retrospective survey attempts to report on the incidence of traumatic dental injuries in a London-based cohort of patients attending a specialised dental trauma clinic. In line with other reports, there were more men than women affected, which is probably attributed to behavioural activities.Conclusion(s) Accidental falls are the most common cause of a traumatic dental injury, lateral luxation was the most common type of displacement injury and enamel-dentine fractures were the most common type of fracture injury.