Traumatic injuries of the permanent incisors in children in southern Turkey: a retrospective study.

The aim of this study is to investigate the incidence, etiologic factors and results of dental trauma and the effects of age and gender on the trauma in permanent incisors. Over a 3-year period, 514 permanent incisor teeth in 317 patients with trauma history, who applied to Suleyman Demirel University School of Dentistry, Department of Pedodontics from the southern cities of Turkey, were evaluated. Standardized trauma forms were filled for each patient. In all age groups, the most frequent cause of trauma was found to be unspecified falls (47.6%). Maxillary teeth (88.5%) and central incisors (87.5%) were the most affected teeth from dental trauma. Ellis class II crown fracture was the most frequently seen type of injury (43.8%). The percent of the patients who applied to a dental clinic in the first 3 days after the trauma occurred (22.8%) was less than the percent of the patients who applied after 3 months and more time period (45.1%). It reveals that it is important to inform the public about dental trauma and the importance of time in these cases.