Treatment of traumatic dental injuries in a cohort of 16-year-olds in northern Sweden.

Abstract

The prevalence and yearly incidence of traumatic tooth injury between 1 and 16 years of age have been studied in a cohort of 16-year-olds, born in 1975, and residing in the County of Västerbotten. The study material comprised 3007 dental records from the Public Dental Health Service. Of these, 1040 contained information on dental injuries. Out of 1000 injured primary teeth, 32% were lost, either avulsed at the time of the accident or extracted due to complications. A majority (92%) of the extractions was performed at the first or second follow-up. A total of 690 tooth injury episodes had occurred in the permanent dentition, involving 981 teeth. In 10% of the teeth more than one diagnosis was recorded for the same tooth. 416 restorations were performed due to crown fractures, the majority at the emergency visit. 44% of the patients had to come back one or more times to revise the composite restoration. Complicated fractures or serious luxation injuries constituted only 5% of the total number of injuries in the permanent dentition. 77 (8%) of the traumatised teeth were treated endodontically. Two percent of the teeth with uncomplicated crown fractures required endodontic treatment due to pulp necrosis, while 28% of teeth with a combination of crown fractures and luxation injury were endodontically treated. Out of 6 avulsed incisors, 4 survived after endodontic treatment. A total of 7 incisors were lost as a consequence of the injuries. A specialist treated 4% of the patients.