• Caries is the main reason for the extraction of first permanent molars in children.• Children who are attending dental hospitals for extraction of first permanent molars tend to be older than the optimal age for achieving space closure.• There is a need for guidelines advising primary care dentists when to refer children for the extraction of fi rst permanent molars.• This study highlights the need for extensive prevention programmes targeted at those children with high caries risk.Extraction of first permanent molar teeth: results from three dental hospitals The main reason for extraction was caries with poor prognosis (70%); molar incisor hypomineralisation was the reason for extraction in 11% of cases. General anaesthesia was the main anaesthetic method used in 77%, 55%, and 47% of cases in Manchester, Liverpool and Sheffi eld respectively. Sixty-eight percent of cases had not received previous treatment for the FPMs and 5% had fissure sealants detected. Forty percent of children had had previous extractions. Conclusion The children who are attending the hospitals for extrac tion of FPMs tend to be older than the recommended age for achieving spontaneous space closure. This study highlights the need for extensive prevention programs targeted at those children with high caries risk.

The suspected continuation of canine enucleation in UK-born Somali children raises important oral health issues. Culturally sensitive education is indicated to discourage this harmful ritual practice.

Dental treatment under general anaesthesia should continue to be available where it is justified. A separate assessment appointment reduces the prescription of general anaesthesia and minimises its usage for orthodontic extractions and the necessity for repeat general anaesthesia.

The replantation of avulsed primary incisors is contra-indicated. This case describes an 8-year-old child who six years previously had avulsed and had replanted a primary central incisor. At presentation, this tooth was retained, the permanent successor had failed to erupt and appearance of the adjacent lateral incisor was notably delayed. Investigation revealed a radicular cyst in relation to the replanted deciduous incisor together with severe displacement of the permanent tooth, which could not be saved.

Three hundred traumatic incidents in 288 children were analysed; 86.6% had causes noted. In very young children, most injuries were because of falls, while collisions, falling and sports were responsible for more injuries in school-aged children. Playground equipment and ride-on vehicles played a role particularly in the older children. There were no incidents of trauma as a result of road traffic accidents. Ten injuries were caused by animals, mainly dogs. Location was recorded for two-thirds of accidents: the predominant place was at home, followed by school. No seasonal variation was apparent. There were 228 non-dental injuries, of which the majority were to the lips. The predominant dental injuries in both dentitions were concussions and subluxations with a significantly higher occurrence of both in the primary dentition (P<0.001). Upper central incisors were most often involved. The age distribution for boys and girls was similar. In conclusion, the causes and types of orofacial trauma in this group of young New Zealand school children attending a university dental school were similar to other studies, except for the high proportion of concussions recorded in both dentitions. While the injuries were well described, not all records noted the cause or location. This has resulted in changes to the standard recording form to provide consistency in data capture. Information from this study will also be used to support child injury prevention strategies in New Zealand.