Traumatic injuries to permanent teeth in Turkish children, Ankara

The aim of this study was to identify the types and etiologies of dento-alveolar injuries among patients who were treated for injuries to maxillary and/or mandibular permanent teeth at the Gulhane Medical Academy, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Center of Dental Sciences in Ankara, Turkey to provide a basis for determining optimal treatment approaches and educational needs. From a total of 4956 children aged 6-12 years (mean age: 8.91 +/- 1.95) applying to the Center, 472 children (9.5%) were found to have suffered dental injuries during a period of 2 years. Injuries were classified according to drawings and texts based on the WHO classification system, as modified by Andreasen and Andreasen. Injury rates were highest among children age 6 and ages 8-10. The most frequently injured permanent teeth were the maxillary central incisors (88.2%), and the maxillary right central permanent incisor made up 47.2% of all injured teeth. The most common cause of dental trauma was falling while walking or running (40.3%). Most injuries involved a single tooth (64.8%). The most common type of injury was enamel fracture (44.6%). There was a significant difference in gender, where boys more often suffered from a dental hard tissue and pulp injury than girls (P = 0.019), whereas there was no difference in gender (P = 0.248) in the distribution of periodontal injuries. Injuries were found to occur more frequently during the summer (P < 0.001). Children with increased overjet were 2.19 times more likely to have dental injuries than other children. Considering that the incidence of traumatic dental injury is highest among children ages 6 and ages 8-10 as well as the fact that patients with increased overjet are more prone to dental trauma, preventive orthodontic treatment in early mixed dentition may play an important role in reducing traumatic dental injuries.