Multidisciplinary trauma management: a case report.

This case report documents the dental management of two permanent maxillary central incisors with a severe intrusive labial luxation injury in conjunction with one complicated and one uncomplicated crown fracture. Additionally, there was a fracture of the labial cortical plate which remained attached to the overlying soft tissue. The two affected teeth and fractured labial plate of bone were surgically repositioned and splinted. Endodontic therapy was completed on the two incisors and the two crown fragments, which had been maintained wet, were re-attached. The report describes a multidisciplinary approach to trauma management and case progress over a 20-month period.

Two case reports of complicated permanent crown fractures treated with partial pulpotomies.

The partial pulpotomy can offer a superb outcome for the treatment of traumatic complicated crown fractures. The procedure is often used for dental trauma in children when the major aim of treatment is to preserve tooth vitality while providing a favorable environment for continued root development. The purpose of this paper was to review scientific evidence supporting partial pulpotomy and its high success rate and illustrate the clinical technique by presenting 2 challenging cases of complicated crown fractures with long-term follow-up.

Permanent tooth replantation following avulsion: using a decision tree to achieve the best outcome.

An avulsion injury is a challenge to manage and there are many treatment options to consider to obtain the best prognosis depending on the avulsion scenario. In 2001, Lee et al published decision analysis paradigms for the management of avulsed permanent teeth to provide busy clinicians with user-friendly, referenced-based flowcharts to facilitate the best possible outcomes for managing these teeth in children and adolescents. The flowchart was updated in 2007 by McIntyre et al. The purpose of this paper is to update the 2001 and 2007 flowcharts and decision analyses with current concepts, recent literature-based findings, new treatment philosophies, and expert consensus from the 2008 AAPD Dental Trauma Symposium.

Effectiveness of dental trauma education for elementary school staff.

The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge of elementary school staff members regarding the management of traumatic dental injuries (TDI) before and after an educational intervention aimed to increase TDI knowledge. Using a newly developed reliable survey instrument, we tested our elementary school staff participants about TDI before (time(0)), immediately after (time(1)), and three months after (time(2)) the intervention. Schools were randomized into three groups: no intervention/control (C), pamphlets (P), and pamphlets + lecture (P + L). Outcomes of interest were TDI knowledge over time relative to the interventions vs controls. Statistical analysis involved a repeated measures linear model. At time(0), TDI knowledge was low among all three groups. At time(1), knowledge increased among all groups and is given by P > P+L > C. For time(2) vs time(1), the P + L group retained the knowledge while in both the C and P groups the knowledge level decreased. Between time(1) and time(2), significant differences were found between both intervention groups when compared with the control (P vs C and P + L vs C: both P < 0.05). In summary, both P and P + L groups significantly improved TDI knowledge among elementary school staff, and this difference held up over time. These interventions have the potential to improve TDI management by elementary school staff when faced with such injuries.

Elementary school staff knowledge about dental injuries.

Elementary school staff can play a crucial role in managing traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) because they are often in proximity to children and are frequently called upon to assist with children's accidents. International studies reveal that elementary school personnel have little knowledge about emergency dental care and management. The purpose of this study was to assess the knowledge, practice and experience regarding TDIs among a sample of elementary school personnel in the USA. Assessment was performed using a demographic questionnaire and a newly developed TDI survey instrument. Results revealed a wide distribution of responses. Overall, dental trauma knowledge among this group was poor. The majority of respondents were not well-versed regarding TDIs, their management, the benefits of timely care or treatment costs. However, staff reported a keen interest in receiving more TDI information and training. TDI education and management are needed among all elementary school staff members to improve the prognosis of these accidents when they occur.

Root fractures in children and adolescents: diagnostic considerations.

The objectives of this study were to (i) characterize epidemiologic trends in anterior permanent tooth trauma in a sample of children and adolescents (ii) examine the relationship of crown fractures (CF) and concomitant root fractures (RF) to determine if CFs are protective against RFs and (iii) examine the radiographic evidence of RFs to determine the value of obtaining three vertical periapical radiographic projections. This was an 8-year cross-sectional study of patients aged 6-18 with anterior permanent tooth trauma. We examined cases involving maxillary central/lateral incisors for which three clearly diagnostic periapical radiographs were obtained during the initial emergency visit. Two trained and calibrated dentists served as expert examiners for the radiographic assessments. Kappa statistics were used to determine reliability. Tests for association of concomitant crown and root fractures were performed using Likelihood Ratio Chi-Square tests. The final sample included 185 teeth in 114 children. Our demographic and epidemiologic findings were comparable to those of previous studies. Experts reached this consensus: 22 RFs were detected, 9.6% (eight out of 83) teeth exhibited root fractures when no CFs was documented, and 13.7% (14 out of 102) teeth had both CFs and RFs as separate entities. Good examiner reliability was reached confirming the presence of RFs (Kappa = 0.81). The association of concomitant RFs and CFs was odds ratio = 1.97 (P = 0.052). CFs were not protective against RFs; indeed, teeth with CFs were twice as likely to have an RF as those without CFs. As the number of radiographic projections increased, RFs were identified more often; however, our data suggest that there is no reason to suspect a complete RF in preteen children unless the root exhibits clinical signs such as luxation or severe mobility. This study provides solid evidence to support obtaining multiple radiographic projections at different vertical angulations to rule out RFs in children and adolescents when RFs are suspected.

Management of avulsed permanent incisors: a comprehensive update.

An avulsion injury is a challenge to manage, and there are many factors to consider to obtain the best prognosis in each scenario. In 2001, Lee and colleagues published decision analysis paradigms for the management of avulsed permanent teeth for the purpose of providing busy clinicians with user-friendly, reference-based flow-charts to facilitate the best possible outcomes for managing these teeth in children and adolescents. The purpose of this article was to update the 2001 flow-charts and decision analyses with: (1) current concepts; (2) recent literature-based findings; and (3) new philosophies.