The importance of soft tissue examination in traumatic dental injuries: a case report

Traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) represent one of the main oral health problems in children, with variable prevalence rates. The issue of unmet treatment needs and inadequate emergency management of TDIs have surfaced up lately in dental literature, indicating that some TDIs present late for treatment, which may complicate management of these injuries. Soft tissue injuries usually accompany other dental injuries therefore thorough clinical and radiographic inspection of soft tissue wounds can not be over emphasized, even in late presentation cases. Tooth fragments may be embedded in soft tissues, even in late presentation cases, and may go unnoticed in the presence of urgent situations. This case report presents a child with a fractured tooth fragment embedded in the lower lip for 18 months, which went unnoticed until the child presented later for treatment of the fractured incisor, highlighting the importance of soft tissue exploration even in late presentation trauma cases.