TRAUMATIC DENTAL INJURIES AT THE ACCIDENT AND EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT OFSINGAPORE GENERAL-HOSPITAL

The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the occurrenc e and the type of after office-hours traumatic dental injuries managed by the Dental Unit of the Accident and Emergency Department at the Si ngapore General Hospital. During a 2-year period (from August 1990 to July 1992), 461 trauma patients (314 males, 147 females) sustained inj uries to 968 teeth. The distribution in different races of Chinese : M alay : Indian : others was 7.3 : 1.3 : 0.9 : 0.5. The predominant age groups were 2-3 years, 3-4 years and 17-18 years; 71.3% of the teeth s ustained luxation type injuries, the remaining 28.7% had fractures, 45 .3% of the cohort had concomitant soft tissues injuries, while 13.7% h ad associated facial bone fractures. Teenager traumas were more common during school vacations. It is concluded that thorough standardized d ocumentation is imperative to obtain baseline information on dental tr auma. This could facilitate future preventive measures, education and research.