How can we improve quality of care and patient outcomes? Dental trauma is damage to the dentition or gingival soft tissue due to accidental or traumatic injury. These traumas can occur in people of any age or social group but most frequently, they occur in children and young adults. Dental trauma can be particularly traumatic for children as it not only has an impact on their functional abilities but also on their aesthetics. Statistics show that 25% of all school children have had dental trauma, with a world prevalence of 23% of trauma affecting primary teeth and 33% of adults experiencing dental trauma to the permanent dentition. Common reasons for dental trauma include falls, assaults and sports injuries. The most commonly affected teeth are the upper central incisors, particularly in those with a class II division 1 occlusion pattern and incompetent lips. Given that these teeth are in the smile line, it is essential that they have a favourable outcome as children aged 12-14 years with fractured teeth were 20 times more likely to report an impact on their daily living and oral health related quality of life. However, trauma affects even elite football players such as Mikel Arteta, who famously avulsed his upper central incisor during a football match aired live on television.
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