Holan G, Yodko E
Dental Traumatology 2017;33:133-136

Background/Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the proportion of patients who present with radiographic evidence of trauma without any clinical signs of a history of TDI.

Methods: The prevalence of traumatic dental injuries was assessed from the records of 674 preschool children at their first visit to a private dental practice. Evidence of the history of traumatic dental injuries was based on clinical and radiographic signs. Clinical signs consisted of enamel fracture, crown fracture with dentin exposure. Radiographic signs were as follows: root fracture, pulp canal obliteration, tube-like mineralization, internal resorption, arrested dentin deposition, external inflammatory root resorption, and a periapical radiolucency.

Results: Of the 674 children, 408 (60.5%) presented with clinical evidence of traumatic dental injuries. Clinical signs of traumatic dental injuries without radiographic evidence of trauma were present in 275 (40.8%) patients.

Conclusion: Traumatic dental injuries based on both clinical and radiographic evidence are more prevalent than when based on clinical examination only. Read full abstract.

 

JOA: The epidemiology of traumatic injuries is an intriguing feature. Should we rely on parents’ information, clinical examinations or a supplement as radiographic examination? This is possibly the reason why there are so many and divergent figures about the dental trauma exposure in a child population. This article sheds light on this problem. The figures are alarming – 408 out of 674 examined children, i.e. 60.5%. That is the highest figure ever recorded. This implies that we should be very meticulous when we record trauma accidents. As a final comment, in a similar study in Copenhagen we recorded that one third of the parents denied that their child had been brought to a pedodontic clinic for primary tooth injuries when they were asked the question a few years later. In conclusion dental trauma epidemiology is extremely difficult and loaded with mistakes.