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Background/Aims Autotransplantation of developing premolars is an established treatment to replace missing teeth in the anterior maxilla in growing patients with a reported success rate of over 90%. The normal shape of the alveolus is observed after transplantation, but data on the presence and amount of alveolar bone after healing has not been previously reported. The aim of this study was to look for potential differences in alveolar bone dimensions between sites where autotransplanted premolars replaced missing incisors and control sites of contralateral incisors. Material/Methods There were 11 patients aged between 10 and 12 years five months (mean age: 10 years and 7 months) who underwent autotransplantation of a premolar to replace a central incisor. Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) performed at least 1 year after transplantation served to evaluate bone at sites of autotransplanted premolars and controls (contralateral maxillary central incisor). The thickness of the labial bone, plus the height and width of the alveolar process were measured on scans and compared at transplant and control sites. Results Mean thicknesses of the labial bone at the transplant and control sites were 0.78 mm and 0.82 mm respectively. Mean alveolar bone height was 15.15 mm at the transplant sites and 15.12 mm at the control sites. The mean marginal thickness of the alveolus was 7.75 mm at the transplant sites and 7.98 mm at the control sites. Mean thicknesses of the alveolus for half of its vertical dimension at the transplant and control sites were 7.54 mm and 8.03 mm, respectively. Conclusion The mean values of bone thickness, width and height of the alveolar process at sites of transplanted premolars were comparable to the mean values for the control incisors. Successful autotransplantation of developing premolars to replace missing central incisors allowed preservation of alveolar bone in the anterior maxilla. Plakwicz, P (corresponding author), Med Univ Warsaw, Dept Periodontol, Fac Dent, Ul Binieckiego 6, PL-02097 Warsaw, Poland. info@plakwicz.com

Traumatic injuries to the primary dentition present special problems that often require far different management when compared to that used for the permanent dentition. The International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) has developed these Guidelines as a consensus statement after a comprehensive review of the dental literature and working group discussions. Experienced researchers and clinicians from various specialties and the general dentistry community were included in the working group. In cases where the published data did not appear conclusive, recommendations were based on the consensus opinions or majority decisions of the working group. They were then reviewed and approved by the members of the IADT Board of Directors. The primary goal of these Guidelines is to provide clinicians with an approach for the immediate or urgent care of primary teeth injuries based on the best evidence provided by the literature and expert opinions. The IADT cannot, and does not, guarantee favorable outcomes from strict adherence to the Guidelines; however, the IADT believes their application can maximize the probability of favorable outcomes.

An accurate, clear, and easy-to-use traumatic dental injury (TDI) classification and definition system is a prerequisite for proper diagnosis, study, and treatment. However, more than 50 classifications have been used in the past. The ideal solution would be that TDIs are adequately classified within the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO). TDI classification provided by the 11th Revision of the ICD (ICD-11), released in 2018, and previous Revisions, failed to classify TDIs satisfactorily. Therefore, in December 2018, a proposal was submitted by Dr's Stefano Petti, Jens Ove Andreasen, Ulf Glendor, and Lars Andersson, to the ICD-11, asking for a change of the existing TDI classification. Proposal #2130 highlighted the TDI paradox, the fifth most frequent disease/condition neglected by most public health agencies in the world, and the limits of ICD-11 classification. Namely, injuries of teeth and periodontal tissues were located in two separate blocks that did not mention dental/periodontal tissues; infraction, concussion, and subluxation were not coded; most TDIs lacked description; and tooth fractures were described through bone fracture descriptions (e.g., comminuted, compression, and fissured fractures). These limitations led to TDI mis-reporting, under-reporting, and non-specific reporting by untrained non-dental healthcare providers. In addition, no scientific articles on TDIs, present in PubMed, Scopus, and Web-of-Science, used the ICD classification. Proposal #2130 suggested to adopt the Andreasen classification, the most widely acknowledged classification used in dental traumatology. The Proposal was reviewed by two WHO teams, two scientific Committees, one WHO Collaborating Center, and the Department of Non-Communicable Disease Prevention at WHO headquarters, and it underwent two voting sessions. In March 2022, the Andreasen classification was accepted integrally. A new entity was generated, called NA0D, "Injury of teeth or supporting structures" (https://icd.who.int/browse11/l-m/en#/http%3a%2f%2fid.who.int%2ficd%2fentity%2f1413338122). Hopefully, this will contribute to increasing the public awareness, and the dental profession's management, of TDIs.

Background/Aim: The survival of an avulsed tooth highly depends on the emergency management. The aim of this study was to evaluate the risk of ankylosis for avulsed human teeth stored in saliva preceded by various dry storage conditions prior to replantation. Material and methods: Data include 74 patients (54 male and 20 female) with 89 avulsed and replanted teeth (16 immature teeth, 73 mature teeth). Patient ages ranged from 6 to 36 years (median: 13.0 years). All teeth were stored in saliva before replantation. Treatment and follow-up were performed according to a standardized procedure. Follow-up periods ranged from 7 months to 20 years (mean 5.3 years). The risk of ankylosis over time was estimated by the Aalen–Johansen method in relation to the length of dry storage and the stage of root development. The effect of risk factors (root development and length of dry time) on the risk of ankylosis was analysed by Cox regression analysis. Results: For mature teeth, dry storage for 5 min or less before saliva storage resulted in a 47.4% (95% confidence interval (CI): 32.8–60.7) ankylosis rate. When dry storage was >5 min and

Avulsion of permanent teeth is one of the most serious dental injuries. Prompt and correct emergency management is essential for attaining the best outcome after this injury. The International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) has developed these Guidelines as a consensus statement after a comprehensive review of the dental literature and working group discussions. It represents the current best evidence and practice based on that literature search and expert opinions. Experienced researchers and clinicians from various specialties and the general dentistry community were included in the working group. In cases where the published data did not appear conclusive, recommendations were based on consensus opinions or majority decisions of the working group. They were then reviewed and approved by the members of the IADT Board of Directors. The purpose of these Guidelines is to provide clinicians with the most widely accepted and scientifically plausible approaches for the immediate or urgent care of avulsed permanent teeth. The IADT does not, and cannot, guarantee favorable outcomes from adherence to the Guidelines. However, the IADT believes that their application can maximize the probability of favorable outcomes.

Autotransplantation of teeth to the anterior maxilla may be indicated after trauma or in patients with congenitally missing teeth. The aim of this systematic review was to report the current evidence concerning survival and success rate, aesthetic outcome, and patient-reported outcome of autotransplanted teeth to the anterior maxilla.A MEDLINE search followed by an additional hand search was performed to identify relevant literature. All levels of evidence except case reports were considered. Any publication reporting on 10 or more autotransplanted teeth to the anterior maxilla, and written in English were eligible for this systematic review.The systematic search identified 95 abstracts. Thirty-seven full-text articles were evaluated of which 17 could finally be included. Data on survival and success rate of the transplants could be extracted from 11 studies. Survival rates ranged between 93% and 100% (weighted mean: 96.7%, median: 100%) after 9 months to 22 years of observation (median: 8.75 years). No consensus regarding definition of success criteria of the transplants could be found in the literature. Two and four studies contained data on aesthetic and patient-reported outcomes, respectively. In general, they reported favourable aesthetic results and high patient satisfaction.The current available evidence suggests a high survival rate after autotransplantation of teeth to the anterior maxilla. However, the level of evidence is low. Limited data on aesthetic and patient-reported outcomes warrant additional research in this field.

Diagnosis and treatment for traumatic dental injuries are very complex owing to the multiple trauma entities represented by six luxation types and nine fracture types affecting both the primary and the permanent dentition. When it is further considered that fracture and luxation injuries are often combined, the result is that more than 100 trauma scenarios exist, when the two dentitions are combined. Each of these trauma scenarios has a specific treatment demand and prospect for healing. With such a complexity in diagnosis and treatment, it is obvious that even experienced practitioners may have problems in selecting proper treatment for some of these trauma types. To remedy this situation, an Internet-based knowledge base consisting of 4000 dental trauma cases with long-term follow up is now available to the public and the professions on the Internet using the address http://www.DentalTraumaGuide.org. It is the aspiration that the use of this Guide may lead the practitioner to offer an evidence-based diagnosis and treatment.

– The history of the Dental Trauma Guide dates back to 1965, where guidelines were developed for trauma records and treatment of various trauma entities at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at the University Hospital in Copenhagen. In 1972, a unique possibility came up at the Serum Institute in Copenhagen to test various dental trauma procedures in monkeys, which served as kidney donors in the polio vaccine production. Over the years, 40 000 dental trauma patients were treated at the Trauma Centre according to established guidelines, and 4000 of these have been enrolled in long-term follow-up of various trauma entities. This has resulted in 79 clinical studies, and 64 studies in monkeys have examined the effect of various treatment procedures and the aetiology of most healing complications.

– Aim: The purpose of this study was to analyze tooth loss after root fractures and to assess the influence of the type of healing and the location of the root fracture. Furthermore, the actual cause of tooth loss was analyzed. Material and methods: Long-term survival rates were calculated using data from 492 root-fractured teeth in 432 patients. The cause of tooth loss was assessed as being the result of either pulp necrosis (including endodontic failures), new traumas or excessive mobility. The statistics used were Kaplan–Meier and the log rank method. Results and Conclusions: The location of the root fracture had a strong significant effect on tooth survival (P = 0.0001). The 10-year tooth survival of apical root fractures was 89% [95% confidence interval (CI), 78–99%], of mid-root fractures 78% (CI, 64–92%), of cervical-mid-root fractures 67% (CI, 50–85%), and of cervical fractures 33% (CI, 17–49%). The fracture-healing type offered further prognostic information. No tooth loss was observed in teeth with hard tissue fracture healing regardless of the position of the fracture. For teeth with interposition of connective tissue, the location of the fracture had a significant influence on tooth loss (P = 0.0001). For teeth with connective tissue healing, the estimated 8-year survival of apical, mid-root, and cervical-mid-root fractures were all more than 80%, whereas the estimated 8-year survival of cervical fractures was 25% (CI, 7–43%). For teeth with non-healing with interposition of granulation tissue, the location of the fracture showed a significant influence on tooth loss (P = 0.0001). The cause of tooth loss was found to be very dependent upon the location of the fracture. In conclusion, the long-term tooth survival of root fractures was strongly influenced by the type of healing and the location of the fracture.

The purpose of this study was to analyze tooth mobility changes in root-fractured permanent teeth and relate this to type of interfragment healing (hard tissue healing (HT), interfragment healing with periodontal ligament (PDL) and nonhealing with interposition of granulation tissue (GT) because of pulp necrosis in the coronal fragment. Furthermore, the effect of age, location of the fracture on the root, and observation period on mobility values was analyzed. Mobility values were measured for 44 of 95 previous reported root-fractured permanent incisors. Mobility changes were measured with a Muhlemanns periodontometer and noninjured incisors served as controls. The mobility values represented the labial-lingual excursion of the root measured in μm when the tooth received a frontal and a palatal impact of 100 g force. In 18 cases of hard tissue healing (HT), a slightly increased mobility was seen after 3 months and 1 year, and a normalization of mobility value was usually found after 5 and 10 years. In 17 cases of PDL healing, generally a higher mobility was found in comparison with root fractures healing with hard tissue, and a consistent decrease in mobility value was found in the course of the 10 year observation period. A tendency for reduced mobility over time was found, a relation that could possibly be explained by the known general decrease in tooth mobility with increasing age. Finally, nine cases of nonhealing with initial interposition of granulation tissue (GT) because of pulp necrosis in the coronal fragment resulted in increasing mobility values possibly related to a lateral breakdown of the PDL in relation to the fracture line. In control teeth, a lowering of mobility was found over the course of a 10-year observation period. In conclusion, mobility changes appeared to reflect the radiographic healing stages and known age effects upon tooth mobility.

Regeneration (revitalization) of infected necrotic pulp tissue has been an important issue in endodontics for more than a decade. Based on a series of case reports, there appears to be evidence that new soft tissue can enter the root canal with a potential for subsequent hard tissue deposition resulting in a narrowing of the root canal. Very little is presently known about the exact nature of this tissue growing into the canal and how it may behave in the long term. In the case of regeneration of necrotic non-infected pulp tissue, a series of clinical and histological studies have shown that such events may take place in four variants: (i) Revascularization of the pulp with accelerated dentin formation leading to pulp canal obliteration. This event has a good long-term prognosis. (ii) Ingrowth of cementum and periodontal ligament (PDL). The long-term prognosis for this event is not known. (iii) Ingrowth of cementum, PDL, and bone. The long-term prognosis is only partly known, but cases developing an internal ankylosis have been described. (iv) Ingrowth of bone and bone marrow is a rare phenomenon and the long-term prognosis does not appear to be good. Based on current knowledge, expectations with respect to pulp regeneration (revitalization) of infected necrotic dental pulps are difficult to predict; more information than now available is needed before procedures for pulpal regeneration can be routinely recommended with a predictable long-term prognosis.

Healing subsequent to dental trauma is known to be very complex, a result explained by the variability of the types of dental trauma (six luxations, nine fracture types, and their combinations). On top of that, at least 16 different cellular systems get involved in more severe trauma types each of them with a different potential for healing with repair, i.e. (re-establishment of tissue continuity without functional restitution) and regeneration (where the injured or lost tissue is replaced with new tissue with identical tissue anatomy and function) and finally metaplasia (where a new type of tissue replaces the injured). In this study, a review is given of the impact of trauma to various dental tissues such as alveolar bone, periodontal ligament, cementum, Hertvigs epithelial root sheath, and the pulp.

– The aim of this article is to give an overview of the art of writing a good manuscript for original articles specifically for the scientific journal Dental Traumatology. Selection of journal, style and language, structure of the original article and important aspects of content and online submission are presented. The authors share their experience in this field from the perspectives of the researcher, editor and publisher.

In vivo studies are sometimes needed to understand healing processes after trauma. For several reasons, not the least ethical, such studies have to be carefully planned and important considerations have to be taken into account about suitability of the experimental model, sample size and optimizing the accuracy of the analysis. Several manuscripts of in vivo studies are submitted for publication to Dental Traumatology and rejected because of inadequate design, methodology or insufficient documentation of the results. The authors have substantial experience in experimental in vivo studies of tissue healing in dental traumatology and share their knowledge regarding critical considerations when planning experimental in vivo studies.

The clinical outcome of closed vs open reduction and rigid fixation was compared based on a systematic review of the literature. Ten non-randomized retrospective studies were found. In six of these ten studies, the complication rate was significantly increased when open reduction and plating was performed. In the remaining studies, a slightly elevated (but not significant) infection rate was found when compared with closed reduction. Altogether, an infection rate of 5.0% was found in the closed reduction group whereas 10.6% and 14.6% were found when open reduction was performed using either plates or wires. Nerve injuries were slightly increased when open reduction was found (although not significant). With regard to occlusal disturbances, no difference was found in the open and closed reduction group. Concerning overall complication problems, six of seven studies showed more problems after open than closed reduction. In conclusion, this literature review using retrospective studies has raised doubts regarding the superiority of open reduction and rigid splinting, compared to closed reduction and intermaxillary splinting. However, a bias concerning the preferential use of open reduction in case of more complicated fractures cannot be excluded, which might explain the differences found between the two procedures. Prospective, randomized clinical trials are needed to illuminate this problem.

Trauma to the primary dentition present special problems and the management is often different as compared with permanent teeth. An appropriate emergency treatment plan is important for a good prognosis. Guidelines are useful for delivering the best care possible in an efficient manner. The International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) has developed a consensus statement after a review of the dental literature and group discussions. Experienced researchers and clinicians from various specialties were included in the group. In cases in which the data did not appear conclusive, recommendations were based on the consensus opinion of the IADT board members. The guidelines represent the current best evidence based on literature research and professional opinion. In this third article out of three, the IADT Guidelines for the management of traumatic injuries in the primary dentition, are presented.

Avulsion of permanent teeth is the most serious of all dental injuries. The prognosis depends on the measures taken at the place of accident or the time immediately after the avulsion. Replantation is the treatment of choice, but cannot always be carried out immediately. An appropriate emergency management and treatment plan is important for a good prognosis. Guidelines are useful for delivering the best care possible in an efficient manner. The International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) has developed a consensus statement after a review of the dental literature and group discussions. Experienced researchers and clinicians from various specialties were included in the group. In cases in which the data did not appear conclusive, recom- mendations were based on the consensus opinion of the IADT board members. The guidelines represent the current best evidence based on literature research and professional opinion. In this second article of three, the IADT Guidelines for management of avulsed permanent teeth are presented.

A prospective study of 140 intruded permanent teeth was examined for the following healing complications: pulp necrosis (PN), root resorption (RR; surface, inflammatory and replacement resorption), and defects in marginal periodontal bone healing (MA). The occurrence of these healing complications was related to various treatment factors such as treatment delay, method of repositioning (i.e. expecting re-eruption, orthodontic reposition and surgical reposition), type of splint (rigid, semirigid and flexible), length of splinting (days) and the use of antibiotics. Treatment delay, i.e. before and after 24 h, had no effect upon healing. Active repositioning in individuals with incomplete root formation (surgical or orthodontic) had a negative effect upon the three healing parameters compared with spontaneous eruption. In teeth with complete root formation and an age of 12-17 no repositioning was still the best treatment in regard to MA. In individuals older than 17 years of age, cases were not anticipated to spontaneously erupt and in these cases, the general choice of treatment was either active orthodontic or surgical repositioning. The former procedure appeared in this treatment scenario to slightly reduce the risk of MA complications. However, this treatment procedure was also found to be more time demanding (an average of 22 consultations for orthodontic repositioning compared with 17 consultations for surgical repositioning). If a surgical repositioning was performed, the type of splint (i.e. flexible, semirigid or rigid) appeared to have no significant effect on the type of healing. The same applied to the length of splinting time (shorter or longer than 6 weeks). No effect of dentin covering procedures for associated crown fractures (enamel-dentin fractures) could be demonstrated. Likewise, antibiotics had no apparent effect upon healing. In conclusion, in patients with intruded teeth with incomplete root formation, spontaneous eruption should be expected. In patients with completed root formation and with an age of 12-17 spontaneous eruption can still occur, but must be monitored very carefully. In older patients (i.e. >17 years) with completed root formation, either surgical or orthodontic extrusion should be attempted. The latter procedure appeared to lead to a slight reduction (not significant) in the risk of MA complications. The extent and direction of the intrusion may however favour surgical repositioning.

An epidemiological study of traumatic intrusion of permanent teeth was performed on 216 teeth in 151 patients treated over a 50-year period at a major trauma center in Denmark (Copenhagen). This analysis showed that intrusion of permanent teeth was of rare injury only affecting 1.9% of traumatic injuries involving permanent teeth. The main etiologic factor appeared to be falling which resulted in axial impacts on maxillary or mandibular teeth. The most common injury patterns were intrusion without additional injuries (33.5%) and intrusion with crown fractures (60.5%). A few cases were combinations of intrusion and either crown/root-fractures or root fractures (6%). Most often one tooth was intruded (46.3%), followed by two teeth (32.4% ) and three or more teeth (21.3%). The majority of intruded teeth were displaced 2-8 mm. The age group of 6-12 years of age was most frequently involved and boys appeared to experience intrusion injuries more frequently than girls, and at an earlier age. Maxillary central and lateral incisors are the primary victims of intrusions and this seems to be identical to other trauma types and is possibly related to the known exposure to impacts of maxillary incisors. The reliability of clinical findings, such as lack of mobility (81.8%), metallic percussion tone (72.5%), and no pain to percussion (66%) was reasonably high, whereas a radiographic feature such as the obliteration of the periodontal ligament space appeared to be only a partly reliable diagnostic tool (52%).

A prospective study of 140 intruded permanent teeth was done to evaluate the following healing complications: pulp necrosis (PN), root resorption (surface, inflammatory and replacement resorption) (RR) and defects in marginal periodontal healing (MA). These complications were related to various preinjury and injury factors. Age appeared to be related to all three healing complications in that patients younger than 12 years had the lowest complication rate. Stage of root formation at the time of the injury was very strongly related to PN and MA, with immature root formation (i.e. incomplete root formation or completed root formation with wide open apex) having better prognosis than more mature root development. Lateral incisors showed significantly more defects in MA, a finding possibly explained by the observation that lateral incisors were more often involved in multiple intrusions compared to other teeth and noting that multiple intrusions had a significantly higher frequency of MA. An associated crown fracture with exposed dentin resulted in more frequent PN, a finding possibly related to bacterial invasion through dentinal tubules into an ischemic pulp. The presence of a gingival laceration added to both PN and MA. The extent of intrusion (in mm) showed some relation to both RR with intrusion 1-3 mm having the lowest frequency of RR, whereas PN and MA showed no significant relation to the extent of intrusion. Finally, multiple adjacent intruded teeth were more frequently involved in a significantly greater loss of interproximal marginal bone (MA) than single intrusions. In conclusion, the relationship between healing complications and preinjury and injury factors could generally be explained by better healing possibilities in teeth with immature root formation. A possible explanation for that could be the softer bone surrounding the tooth, whereby trauma to the periodontium might be diminished.

— This in vitro study investigated the fracture strengths of fractured incisors after reattachment to the remaining tooth structure, using either Gluma dentin-bonding agent together with 1 of 13 different experimental resins or 1 of the following dentin-bonding agents: Gluma+ (experimental modification of Gluma), Panavia 21, ScotchBondl (SingleBond), All-Bondz, Dentastic, Super-Bond, Prime & Bond 2.1. No siwcant differences were found in the experiments with various experimental resins. The fracture strength of teeth rebonded with Gluma, All-Bondz, Dentastic, SuperBond or Prime & Bond 2.1 showed mean fracture strengths in the range of 8.7–11.2 MPa, which were significantly different in all cases from that of intact teeth (16.3 MPa). Teeth bonded with Gluma+, Panavia 21 or ScotchBondl (SingleBond) showed mean fracture strengths of 15.5, 14.6, and 14.2 MPa, respectively. These fracture strengths were not significantly different from that of intact teeth.

Objective: To compare the root development and the growth rate of the mandibular third molar (M3 inf) in individuals where the M3 inf erupted vs individuals exhibiting M3 inf impaction. Materials and Methods: Serial standardized intraoral radiographs (Eggen technique) were taken annually of the mandibular third molar region from 132 subjects (71 male and 61 female) from 15 to 20 years of age. Based on the films, 264 lower third molars were classified into an eruption and an impaction group. Root development was recorded according to a quantitative method described by Haavikko (1970), and the eruption status was analyzed using logistic regression. Results: In total, 155 (59%) of the M3 inf erupted, and 109 (41%) were impacted at age 20. In 44 (33%) patients both M3 inf were impacted, in 21 (16%) patients one tooth was erupted and the contralateral tooth impacted, and in 67 (51%) patients both M3 inf were erupted. The more mature a tooth was at age 15, the higher was the probability of eruption (odds ratio: 3.89, P < .001). The growth rate of the root development stage was statistically significantly associated with the probability of eruption (odds ratio: 10.50, P = .041). Conclusions: Delayed mandibular third molar root development is associated with impaction. Radiographs taken at age 15 may predict the risk of impaction and thereby guide decision making for the orthodontist or the oral and maxillofacial surgeon.

Traumatic injuries to the primary dentition present special problems and the management is often different as compared with the permanent dentition. The International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) has developed a consensus statement after a review of the dental literature and group discussions. Experienced researchers and clinicians from various specialities were included in the task group. In cases where the data did not appear conclusive, recommendations were based on the consensus opinion or majority decision of the task group. Finally, the IADT board members were giving their opinion and approval. The primary goal of these guidelines is to delineate an approach for the immediate or urgent care for management of primary teeth injuries. The IADT cannot and does not guarantee favorable outcomes from strict adherence to the guidelines, but believe that their application can maximize the chances of a positive outcome.

– The possible relation between treatment delay and healing complications in mandibular fracture treatment (excluding condylar fractures) was reviewed systematically. Twenty-two studies were identified. No randomized studies focused on the effect of immediate or delayed treatment. The main focus of most studies was surgical repositioning and internal skeletal fixation. The healing complications analyzed in this study were infection in the fracture line and malocclusion. Statistical analysis of the influence of treatment delay upon healing complications was possible in six studies. Four studies showed no significant difference between immediate and delayed treatment. One study showed a preference for healing for cases treated within 3 days, whereas another study indicated that treatment time between 3 and 5 days were optimal with the lowest rate of complications. Finally, a few studies identified confounding factors such as alcohol, drug abuse and/or non-compliance, factors which have been shown strongly to influence the likelihood of complications. A significant problem in this analysis was that rather few patients were actually treated on an acute basis (i.e. within 12 or 24 hours after injury), a fact which together with the lack of control of confounding factors made this analysis problematic. In conclusion, there is presently no strong evidence for either acute or delayed treatment of mandibular fractures in order to minimize healing complications; new studies including a substantial number of cases treated on an acute basis are very much needed.

Crown fractures and luxations occur most frequently of all dental injuries. An appropriate treatment plan after an injury is important for a good prognosis. Guidelines are useful for delivering the best care possible in an efficient manner. The International Association of Dental Traumatology (IADT) has developed a consensus statement after a review of the dental literature and group discussions. Experienced researchers and clinicians from various specialties were included in the group. In cases where the data did not appear conclusive, recommendations were based on the consensus opinion of the IADT board members. The guidelines represent the current best evidence, based on literature research and professional opinion. In this first article of three, the IADT Guidelines for management of fractures and luxations of permanent teeth will be presented.

Avulsed and lost anterior teeth are common in young people. Using autotransplantation, it is possible to move problems in dental arches to regions where they are easier to solve orthodontically. Transplantation of premolars with three-quarter root formation or full root formation with wide open apical foramina provides the best prognosis for long-term survival. This article describes the use of autotransplantation and orthodontic treatment, together with cryopreservation, in connection with complicated trauma in the anterior region of an 8-year-old female child.

The incidence of retention/impaction of the permanent lower second molar (M2inf) lies between 0.6/1000 and 3/1000. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the craniofacial morphology, the frequency of dental anomalies and the inclination of the affected M2inf and the adjacent first molar in patients with arrested eruption of M2inf. The overall goal was to elucidate the aetiology of arrested tooth eruption and to present the characteristics of these patients in order to improve diagnosis and treatment planning. Radiographic material (profile radiographs and orthopantomograms) from 19 patients (nine females and 10 males; 13-19 years of age at the time of referral) were analysed. The ages of the patients when profile radiographs were taken for cephalometric analysis varied from 8 to 16 years. The study shows that this group of patients, compared with a reference group, had an increased sagittal jaw relationship (Class II). Specifically, the mandibular prognathism was less, the mandibular gonial angle smaller, the mandibular alveolar prognathism enlarged and the maxillary incisor inclination less than in the reference group. Furthermore, this group of patients had a more frequent occurrence of morphological tooth anomalies, such as root deflections, invaginations, and taurodontism. However, none of the patients with arrested eruption of M2inf had agenesis of the lower third molar. The study did not reveal an association between the degree of inclination of the M2inf and that of the first molar in the same region. The results of this investigation show that conditions such as the craniofacial morphology and deviations in the dentition are associated with arrested eruption of M2inf. Therefore, it is important to evaluate these conditions in future diagnosis and treatment planning of patients with arrested eruption of M2inf.

One-hundred-and-eighteen premolars transplanted at a stage with 3/4 to 4/4 root development with an open apical foramen were followed using a standardized clinical and radiographic technique for signs of periodontal ligament healing, root development, and tooth eruption. Root growth was unimpeded in 26 per cent, impaired in 55 per cent, and arrested in 19 per cent. Eruption of transplants occurred at the time of periodontal and alveolar healing, and before any significant root growth. Furthermore, autotransplanted premolars created growth of the alveolar process along with the eruption process.

Traumatic dental injuries are very frequent in both the primary and permanent dentition. As these often imply combined injury to both the pulp and periodontium, a variety of healing complications may arise, such as pulp necrosis, pulp canal obliteration, root resorption and loss of marginal attachment. Furthermore, trauma in the primary dentition can be transmitted to the permanent successors, leading to a variety of developmental disturbances. The analysis of the etiology of these complications has hitherto been seriously hampered by a lack of agreement on the registration of the extent of injury to the tooth and its supporting structures (i.e. trauma classification), lack of agreement on the definition of healing complications and shortcomings in the statistical analysis of follow-up studies of traumatized primary and permanent teeth. The consequences of these shortcomings are described with respect to the evaluation of prognosis of various types of trauma. Suggestions are made for data collection and analysis of future trauma studies which should enable the identification of factors determining the outcome of traumatic dental injuries. Through a perusal of recent dental literature, various trauma entities and treatment procedures are evaluated. Furthermore, areas are outlined where present knowledge does not allow rational treatment selection or prognosis evaluation.