Causes and Pattern of Traumatic Dental Injuries in Children Presenting for Care at a Tertiary Health Centre

To assess the causes and pattern of traumatic dental injuries in children presenting for care at a tertiary health care facility. This was a prospective study with sample consisting of patients who attended the Paediatric Dental Clinic in a period of nine months. Data, including clinical and radiographic examinations were collected using the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommended format for recording of dental injuries. A total of 55 children, 37(67.3%) males and 18 (32.7%) females aged 1 to 16 years (mean 9.63.9 years) sought treatment for 83 traumatised teeth. Twenty (36.4%) patients sought treatment within one week after the injury. The most frequent cause of dental trauma was fall (65.5%), followed by collision (16.4%) and the most common place of occourrence was at home (50.9%). Though compromised aesthetics was the most common reason for seeking dental care, trauma to the dentition was by chance finding in 12(14.5%) of the patients. Seventy-two (86.8%) of the teeth were permanent teeth while 11(13.2%) were primary teeth. Both primary and permanent teeth had more fractures than luxation injuries. Treatment carried out include supportive therapy, composite restoration, pulp therapy, re-implantation and/splinting, extraction and provision of prosthesis. Tooth fracture was the most common injury presented in both the primary and permanent dentition. The majority of injuries occourred in the home and few parents/caregivers sought dental care for their children/ward immediately after trauma. Parents and teachers are advised to seek immediate treatment of traumatic dental injury to avoid complications and complex treatments. Clinical article (J Int Dent Med Res 2015; 8: (2), pp. 40-45)