title: Traumatic dental injuries in a university hospital: a four-year retrospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Traumatic dental injuries present complex injuries of the dentoalveolar system. Aim of this study was to investigate the frequency and patterns of traumatic dental injuries in a University dental emergency service over four years.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective investigation on all dental trauma patients presenting at the dental emergency service of the University Medical Center Mainz, Germany between 01/2010 and 12/2013 was conducted. Demographic data, the cause and type of trauma and the initial therapy were analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 16,301 patients, 1,305 patients (8 %; average age 14.7 years ±15.7; 60.1 % male, 39.9 % female) came due to trauma. 63.9 % of the traumas occurred on weekends. The most frequent reason for injuries was falls (54.6 %). No correlation could be found between the cause and the kind of trauma. In 48.6 % of the cases only one tooth was involved, in 33.5 % two. The permanent dentition was traumatized in 56.6 % of cases, the deciduous teeth in 41.1 %. The most frequently affected tooth was the central upper incisor (61.0 %). Hard-tissue injuries were significantly more frequent in the permanent dentition, while periodontal injuries were seen significantly more often in the deciduous dentition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Eight percent of all patients seeking help at the dental emergency service presented with trauma, meaning that dental traumatology is one of the major topics in emergencies. To improve the quality of care, further public education, expert knowledge among dental professionals and a well-structured emergency service are necessary.
authors.affiliation: Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Augustusplatz 2, 55131, Mainz, Germany. benjamin.mahmoodi@unimedizin-mainz.de.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mahmoodi
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial and Facial Plastic Surgery, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Augustusplatz 2, 55131, Mainz, Germany. roman.rahimi-nedjat@unimedizin-mainz.de.
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rahimi-Nedjat
authors.affiliation: Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Augustusplatz 2, 55131, Mainz, Germany. jens.weusmann@unimedizin-mainz.de.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weusmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Augustusplatz 2, 55131, Mainz, Germany. adrianoasso@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Adriano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azaripour
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial and Facial Plastic Surgery, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Augustusplatz 2, 55131, Mainz, Germany. christian.walter@unimedizin-mainz.de.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Walter
authors.affiliation: Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Augustusplatz 2, 55131, Mainz, Germany. willersh@uni-mainz.de.
authors.forename: Brita
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Willershausen
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D019229:Dentition, Permanent; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006785:Hospitals, University / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014084:Tooth Avulsion / Q000453:epidemiology; D018677:Tooth Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult