Trauma Flashcards
What are the most likely circumstances (e.g. age, gender, teeth) to experience trauma to primary teeth?
- more common in males
- maxillary primary incisors most commonly affected
- peak incidence between 2-4 years old
What are the most common reasons for traumatic dental injuries in the primary dentition?
- falls
- bumping into objects
- non-accidental
What injuries can occur to the dental hard tissues and pulp?
- enamel fracture
- enamel and dentine fracture
- enamel, dentine and pulp fracture
- crown-root fracture
- root fracture
What injuries can occur to the supporting tissues (periodontium, bone)?
- concussion
- subluxation
- lateral luxation
- intrusion
- extrusion
- avulsion
- alveolar fracture
Which fractures are considered complicated?
- any fracture involving the pulp
- enamel, dentine and pulp fracture
What is a crown-root fracture
- fracture involving enamel, dentine and root
- may or may not have pulpal involvement
- determines whether complicated or uncomplicated
What is concussion?
- PDL injury
- tooth tender to touch
- has not been displaced from line of arch
- normal mobility
- no bleeding into gingival sulcus
What is subluxation
- PDL injury
- tooth tender to touch
- increased mobility
- not displaced from line of arch
- bleeding into gingival sulcus
What is lateral luxation?
- tooth displaced in a palatal/lingual or labial direction
- any direction other than axial
- comminuted or fractured alveolar socket
What is intrusion?
- tooth usually displaced through the labial bone plate
- can impinge on permanent tooth bud
- comminuted or fractured alveolar socket
What is extrusion?
- partial displacement of the tooth out of its socket
What is avulsion?
- tooth is completely displaced out of its socket
- must determine location of tooth
- most commonly lost out of the mouth
- can be ingested or inhaled
- can be embedded in surrounding soft tissues
- must determine location of tooth
What is alveolar fracture?
- fracture involving the alveolar bone
- labial and palatal/lingual
- may extend to adjacent bone
- mobility and dislocation of segment common
- occlusal interference usually present
What is the most common type of injury in the primary dentition?
- luxation injuries
What does a trauma examination involve?
- reassurance
- history
- examination
- diagnosis
- emergency treatment
- important information
- further treatment and review
How can a patient be reassured after a traumatic dental injury?
- distressing for parent and child
- often also first visit to dentist
- not planned
- adds to anxiety
How do you take a trauma history?
- injury
- when did it happen?
- time interval determines prognosis - where did it happen?
- tentanus prophylaxis
- further investigation - how did it happen?
- nature of accident
- indicates type of injury to expect
- discrepancy can indicate abuse - any other symptoms or injuries?
- concussion
- headache
- vomiting
- amnesia
- brain injury must be excluded
- if suspicious refer to hospital - lost teeth/fragments?
- if lost but not accounted for chest radiograph required
- need to determine where
- when did it happen?
- medical history
- congenital heart disease
- history of rheumatic fever or immunosuppression
- bleeding disorders
- haematological team must be contacted - allergies
- short course of antibiotics may be required - tetanus immunisation status
- no vaccine or booster required
- dental history
- previous trauma
- can explain baseline clinical and radiographic findings
- repeated injury can indicate neglect or abuse - treatment experience
- ability to cope in past - legal guardian and child attitude
- how easy is it attending for the family?
- previous trauma
What does an extra oral examination for dental trauma involve?
- swellings
- bruising
- lacerations
- may require debridement and suturing
- haematoma
- haemorrhage
- subconjunctival haemorrhage
- bony step deformities
- mouth opening
- limited mandibular movement/mandibular deviation
- can indicate jaw fracture or dislocation
What does an intra oral examination for dental trauma involve?
- soft tissue
- lacerations
- haematomas
- penetrating wounds
- suspicion of foreign bodies
- alveolar bone
- evidence of fracture
- occlusion
- teeth well interdigitated
- does bite feel normal to patient?
- teeth
- charted
- injuries recorded
- mobile
- tooth displacement
- root or bone fracture - transillumination
- fracture lines (crazing)
- pulpal degeneration (particularly palatally)
- caries identification - tactile test with probe
- detect horizontal and vertical fractures
- detect pulpal involvement - percussion
- dull sound in case of root fracture - occlusion
- if traumatic requires urgent treatment - sensibility tests
- thermal (ethyl chloride, warm gutta-percha)
- electrical (electric pulp tester)
What is a trauma stamp?
- measure of all of the factors requiring monitoring
- mobility
- colour
- TTP
- sensibility tests
- presence of a sinus
- percussion note
- radiograph obtained at visit
What radiographs may be used to assess dental trauma?
- periodical
- anterior occlusal
- lateral pre-maxilla
- extraoral
- panoramic
- soft tissue view
What is often the most appropriate option for emergency treatment in the primary dentition? When is this option not appropriate?
- observation
- not appropriate
- risk of aspiration or ingestion
- occlusal interference
What advice should be given on home care?
- analgesia
- ibuprofen and/or paracetamol
- soft diet
- 10-14 days
- normal diet but cut everything small
- chew with molars
- brush teeth with soft toothbrush
- after every meal
- topical chlorhexidine gluconate 0.12% mouthrinse
- topically twice daily
- one week
- separately to toothbrushing
- applied with gauze or cotton bud
- advise on signs of infection
How are enamel fractures managed?
- smooth sharp edges
- soflex disc
- bond fragment to tooth
How are enamel-dentine fractures managed?
- cover exposed dentine
- glass ionomer or composite
- restore lost tooth structure
- composite
- immediate or subsequent visit
- bond fragment to tooth
- radiograph lacerations if fragment has not been located
- evaluate tooth maturity
- sensibility test
How are enamel-dentine-pulp fractures managed in primary teeth?
- partial pulpotomy
- some of the coronal pulp is removed
- non setting calcium hydroxide paste over pulp
- thin layer of glass ionomer cement
- restored with composite
- cervical pulpotomy if larger exposure
- extraction
- LA required for both
- both invasive
- risk of long term dental anxiety
- dependent on maturity level of child
How are crown-root fractures managed?
- removal of loose fragment
- determine whether crown can be restored
- restorable
- no pulp exposed
- cover exposed dentine with glass ionomer - pulp exposed
- pulpotomy
- endodontic treatment (level of fracture/root development)
- no pulp exposed
- unrestorable
- extract loose fragments
- don’t dig
- do not damage permanent successor
- firm fragments left in situ
How are root fractures managed?
- if coronal fragment is not displaced
- no treatment
- if coronal fragment displaced but not excessively mobile
- leave coronal fragment to spontaneously reposition
- even if interfering with occlusion
- if coronal fragment displaces, excessively mobile and interfering with occlusion
- extract only the loose coronal fragment
- often the favoured option - reposition the loose coronal fragment
- can splint to secure fragment
- extract only the loose coronal fragment
How is concussion managed?
- no treatment
- in permanent teeth splint
- excessive mobility or tenderness on biting
- passive and flexible
- 2 weeks
- observation
How is subluxation
- no treatment
- observation
How is lateral luxation managed?
- if minimal or no occlusal interference
- allow to reposition spontaneously
- if severe displacement
- extract
- favoured option - reposition
- can splint for around 4 weeks
- extreme caution to avoid damage to permanent successor
- extract
- in permanent teeth reposition under local anaesthetic
- splint for 4 weeks
- incomplete root formation
- spontaneous revascularisation may occur
- endodontic treatment may be indicated
- necrotic pulp
- signs of inflammatory external resorption
- complete root formation
- pulp likely to become necrotic
- commence endodontic treatment
- corticosteroid-antibiotic or CaOh as intracranial medicament
- prevent development of inflammatory external resorption
How is intrusion managed?
- allow spontaneous reposition
- irrespective of direction of displacement
- usually within 6 months but can take up to a year
- determine direction of displacement
- only one radiographic image used (not parallax)
- periodical or lateral premaxilla
- assesses danger to permanent tooth
- two possible scenarios for primary teeth
- one
- tip of apex can be seen
- tooth appears shortened compared to contralateral
- apex displaced towards or through labial bone plate
- displaced away from developing permanent successor - two
- apex cannot be visualised on radiograph
- tooth appears elongated compared to contralateral
- apex has been displaced towards permanent tooth germ
- increased risk of damage to the permanent successor
- one
- two possible treatment options for permanent teeth
- immature root formation
- spontaneous repositioning
- no re-eruption indicates orthodontic treatment
- monitor pulp condition
- spontaneous pulp revascularisation may occur
- endo if necrotic pulp or signs of inflammatory external resorption - mature root formation (<3mm)
- spontaneous repositioning
- surgical reposition after 8 weeks (4 weeks splint)
- orthodontic repositioning
- endodontic treatment if indicated - mature root formation (3-7mm)
- reposition surgically or orthodontically
- endodontic treatment if indicated - mature root formation (>7mm)
- reposition surgically
- endodontic treatment if indicated
- immature root formation
How is extrusion managed?
- if not interfering with occlusion
- spontaneous repositioning
- excessively mobile or extruded >3mm
- extraction
- in permanent teeth reposition the tooth
- gently push back into socket
- under local anaesthetic
- splint
How is avulsion managed?
- radiograph to confirm avulsion
- do not replant
- never for primary teeth
How is alveolar fracture managed?
- repositioning of segment
- if mobile or causing occlusal interference
- stabilise with flexible splint
- adjacent uninjured teeth
- 4 weeks
- suture gingival lacerations if present
- teeth may need extracted after alveolar stability is achieved
- monitor pulp condition of all teeth involved
- monitor root development
- canal width
- canal length
- resorption - risk of pulpal necrosis in closed apex teeth at 5 years
- advice to patent and carer
- soft diet for 7 days
- avoid contact sport while splint is in place
- careful oral hygiene
- chlorhexidine gluconate mouthwash 0.12%
What are the possible long term complications of trauma to primary teeth regarding the primary tooth?
- discolouration
- discolouration and infection
- delayed exfoliation