Subacute iatrogenic periodontal injury: report of a case.

The understanding of incipient periodontal pathology in children and adolescents is achieving deserved recognition and discussion.' Similarly, the treatment of "acute" dental and related periodontal trauma is widely understood.' Th,e diagnosis and treatment of subacute periodontal injury has been only meagerly documented in clinical literature. The determining factors in the response to both acute and subacute oral trauma in children are the systemic healing potential, and any local compromising factors. Goldman and Cohen state that the age of the patient and the duration of the insult directly influence the recovery. With respect to osseous trauma, the equilibrium of bony resorption and deposition as well as the availability of calcium from bodily storehouses are age dependent. Younger persons have decidedly better capacity for repair. Acute trauma to the periodontal complex produces pathologic changes such as necrosis of the adjacent alveolar bone, resorption of bone, and tooth mobility. Without further trauma, repair usually occurs. Sicher reported that mechanically disengaging the fibers of the periodontal ligament resulted in reattachment by formation of osteoid along the bony surface. These principles of healing are similarly applicable in cases of subacute periodontal trauma.