Treatment of traumatic dental injuries in children

The major emphasis of this review rests on articles written within the past 12 months. Many of these papers comprise comprehensive surveys of treatment of various aspects of dental trauma in the primary and permanent dentition, as well as epidemiologic studies. There have also been some very good experimental studies that have attempted to standardize luxation injuries as well as tooth replantation in order to study pulpal and periodontal healing in reproducible animal models. However, it can been seen from the reference list that 1 year's production in dental traumatology would not suffice to cover the scope of the treatment needs nor to adequately orient the reader to the progress made with respect to our present knowledge of wound healing following injury and the most recent developments in the restoration of the traumatized dentition. To present an overall view of the philosophy that has evolved concerning wound healing in the dental pulp and periodontium following injury as well as innovations in the treatment of acute dental trauma, this review must of necessity delve back into the mid-1980s and probe forward into publications that are on the way in 1991.