Traumatic tooth injuries to primary teeth of children aged 0-3 years.

The purpose of this study was to analyze data according to gender, age, cause, number of traumatized teeth, type of tooth and trauma, from the records of traumatized children (0-3 years) referred to the Ondokuz Mayis University, Dental Faculty, Department of Pedodontics in middle Black Sea region of Turkey. A total of 563 boys and girls participated in the study. Traumatic dental injuries were recorded using the classification of the World Health Organization modified slightly by Andreasen & Andreasen. Traumatic dental injuries were identified in 17.4% of the children. The largest percentage of injuries were in the 13-18 months old children with no significant gender differences (P > 0.05). Periodontal tissue injuries were the most common (84.7%) with no statistical difference between different ages or gender (P > 0.05). The main etiological factor of traumatic dental injury was falls (73.5%) and it was not different between age and gender (P > 0.05). The maxillary central incisors were involved in a higher percentage of traumatic injuries (98%), with no differences between the right and the left sides (P > 0.05). Treatment was sought for 37.4% of children within 1-7 days. It is suggested that parents should be informed about prevention of traumatic injuries and to contact a dentist immediately.