Identification of factors associated with pathological root resorption in traumatized primary teeth

The aim of this study was to determine the factors associated with the development of pathological root resorptions in traumatized primary teeth. Based on Dental Reports on Traumatism from the Assistance Program for the Traumatized Patient, 90 children were selected. Among these children, 45 did not present pathological root resorption, while 45 did (23 replacement root resorptions and 22 external inflammatory root resorptions). Possible factors associated with the development of the pathological resorption include: (i) over 18 months or over 52 months of age, (ii) complicated trauma, and (iii) presence of more than one trauma in the same tooth. Using the chi-squared test, it was verified that trauma recurrence was considered to be a factor associated with the development of pathological root resorption (chi(2) = 3.636; P < 0.05). Through the univaried logistic regression test, it was revealed that children with trauma recurrence present a 2.6 times higher chance of developing pathological root resorptions when compared with children that did not report trauma recurrence. Through the univaried logistic regression test, it was also observed that the association of two or three factors caused the chances of pathological root resorption development to increase by 3.8 times in 18-month-old children or older (95% CI: 1.5-9.7) and by 5.1 times in 52-month-old children or older (95% CI: 1.5-17). Trauma recurrence in the same primary tooth is associated with pathological root resorption, and the interaction among two or three factors increases the chance of developing such sequelae.