European Journal of Inflammation

Traumatic dental lesions are found at all ages, but most frequently in the paediatric population, in an age range of 2–5 years, a time period in which the muscle co-ordination and mental faculties of the child have still not been fully developed (1-2). At the age of 5, 1/3 of children have already suffered trauma of the deciduous teeth with fractures of the corona (26%), radicular fractures (3%), intrusive luxation (26%), non-intrusive luxation (13%), evulsions (52–69%), concussions (10%), dislocation, especially of the upper incisors (84% of the deciduous against 87% of the permanent teeth), possible bud alteration in permanent teeth (48–68%), and ankylosis (5%) (3-4). On the other hand, in children between the ages of 8–12 years, due to their high physical activity during games (58.5%) and sports, there is an increase in the incidence of trauma. In fact, at 12 years of age, 25% of the pediatric population show some damage to their permanent teeth.(1-4). 18% of dental fractures, as has been observed in many studies, is represented by fractures to the corona of the permanent incisors (the majority, 80%, are of the upper central incisors), and especially those (9.6%) which do not show complications of trauma to the hard dental tissue (5-7). Studies on germ-free animals have shown that healing of the pulp occurs independently of the grade of exposure of the same Pulp exposure induces major morphological changes in tooth tissue, such as discolouring, acute pulp inflammation, chronic inflammation and, if the exposed pulp in not treated, necrosis. This happens even in the case of dental intrusion, since the pulp tissue, during displacement, undergoes a severe shock, which might be seen at a later stage, with clinical indications that go from colour alteration, to inflammation and subsequently to pulp necrosis (8). Following exposure, the pulp suffers from haemorrhage in the underlying tissue followed by a secondary superficial inflammation, the start of coagulation mechanisms and afterwards the alteration of the tissues in a detrimental (abscesses and necrosis) or proliferate (hyperplasia) manner (9). During histological examination of deciduous Vol. 5, no. 3, 0-0 (2007)