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.