Dental trauma

Dental trauma is injury to teeth or their supporting oral tissues caused by physical impact or another external force. It ranges from enamel fractures to displacement or loss of teeth.

Tooth fracture: A break in a tooth’s enamel, dentin, or root caused by injury or structural weakness. Fractures are a common form of dental trauma, with treatment depending on which tissues are affected.
Dental concussion: An injury to the tooth-supporting tissues that causes tenderness without loosening or displacement. It shows that force can injure supporting tissues even without visible tooth movement.
Dental trauma assessment: Clinical evaluation of an injured tooth and its supporting tissues using examination and imaging. Assessment identifies injury type, associated damage, and the need for urgent intervention.
External root resorption: Loss of root structure caused by resorptive cells acting on the tooth’s external surface. Severe injury to the root surface or supporting tissues can trigger progressive resorption.
Dental erosion: Irreversible loss of tooth surface caused by chemical dissolution without bacterial involvement. Unlike trauma, erosion develops through repeated chemical exposure rather than a discrete impact.
Tooth luxation: Displacement of a tooth within its socket without complete separation from the socket. Luxation describes traumatic displacement, from loosened teeth to complete displacement from the socket.
Dental subluxation: An injury that loosens a tooth without displacing it from its normal position. It marks a more substantial ligament injury than concussion while preserving tooth alignment.
International Association of Dental Traumatology: An international professional organization that develops guidance and promotes research on dental trauma. Its guidelines provide evidence-informed protocols for evaluating and managing traumatic dental injuries.
Ankylosis of teeth: Fusion of a tooth root to the surrounding bone after loss of the periodontal ligament. Damage to the ligament after trauma can lead to replacement of root tissue by bone.
Dental attrition: Loss of tooth structure through tooth-to-tooth contact, such as chewing or grinding. Attrition is a gradual mechanical wear process, not an acute injury from external impact.

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