article · International Journal of Science and Research Archive
Dental trauma involves injury to the teeth and supporting tissues caused by external mechanical forces, frequently affecting younger age groups. A retrospective review analysed three years of clinical records from children presenting to the paediatric dental unit at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. Among 1,811 children examined, dental trauma was recorded in 11.4 percent of cases. Accidental falls accounted for the vast majority of these injuries, representing 89.0 percent of the documented causes. The most frequent form of injury affected both enamel and dentin, seen in 31.4 percent of cases, with the upper permanent central incisors being the most vulnerable teeth at 61.3 percent. Clinicians addressed these injuries most commonly through simple composite restorations, which comprised 31.8 percent of the treatments provided.
Dental injuries in children frequently lead to structural damage in critical front teeth, requiring direct clinical intervention. Identifying falls as the overwhelming cause highlights the urgent need for enhanced supervision and safety strategies by parents, guardians, and teachers during play at school and home to reduce childhood dental trauma.
The abstract does not indicate an application pathway, as it reports retrospective clinical and epidemiological data on injury patterns rather than developing or testing a commercial product or service.
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Background: Dental trauma is an injury to the mouth, especially teeth and periodontium, caused by an external mechanical force. It is the effect of an accidental event that involves the hard and the supporting structures of a tooth. It is rampant in younger people accounting for 17% of injuries to the body in those below the age of 6years. Methodology: A retrospective study carried out amongst children who attended the Paediatric dental unit, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. The dental records of children who visited the clinic for a period of three years were retrieved. Those with dental trauma were noted among them. Some of the information extracted from the case notes include causes of dental trauma, types of dental trauma, the teeth affected and the *treatment rendered. Results: One thousand, eight hundred and eleven children were seen during the period under review. The prevalence of trauma within that period was 11.4%. The major cause was falls (89.0%). The commonest type of dental trauma in this study involved enamel and dentin (31.4%). The most affected teeth were upper permanent central incisors (61.3%). Simple composite restoration was the commonest treatment carried out in 31.8%. Conclusion: Parents, guardian and teachers are enjoined to ensure that their children do not fall while playing at home and in school. Proper supervision and preventive measures should be put in place during their play times to mitigate against injuries.
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DOI: 10.30574/ijsra.2025.15.3.1058
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