An analysis of pattern of dental injuries after fall accidents in 0- to 2-year-old children - does the use of pacifier at the time of injury make a difference?

AIM To assess the relation between type of traumatic injury and use of pacifier at the time of a fall accident in 0- to 2-year olds. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study draws on data from the database on traumatic dental injuries at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Copenhagen University Hospital. RESULTS The study includes 1125 patients ≤ 2 years of age, representing a total of 1886 injuries. A total of 176 patients had fallen while using a pacifier, whereas 949 children suffered a fall without using a pacifier. In the pacifier group, 11.9% had crown fractures compared with 20.0% of children who had fallen without a pacifier (P = 0.012). Tooth displacement (lateral luxation, extrusion or avulsion) was relatively more frequent in children falling with a pacifier compared to children falling without a pacifier (64.8%vs 54.8%; P = 0.014). Furthermore, soft tissue injury was less frequent among the former (28.4%vs 38.3%; P = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS Injuries occurring while using a pacifier tend to be tooth displacement rather than fractures. This is in accordance with the theoretical consideration that a blunt impact tends to favour displacement, whereas a sharp impact tends to favour fractures of the hard dental tissues.