The trend of TDIs seems to be stable on a high level with variations largely reflecting local differences. Because of the complexity of TDIs, every dental clinic should have a prospective ongoing registration of number and severity of TDIs.

The number of known causes of TDIs has grown to alarming levels, probably because of increased interest of the causes and the underlying complexity of a TDI. Accepted oral, environmental and human aetiological factors must therefore be included in the registration of TDIs.

Traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) account for a considerable proportion of bodily injuries. Nevertheless, global TDI frequency is unknown, probably because TDI diagnosis is not standardized. This study estimated world TDI frequency. A literature search (publication years 1996-2016) was aimed at covering as many countries, communities, ethnic groups as possible, thus achieving high generalizability. In particular, non-specific keywords, no language restrictions, and large databanks were used. Observational studies reporting proportions of individuals with at least one TDI (prevalence) and who developed TDI (incidence rate) were considered. Prevalence rates to permanent dentition, primary dentition and in 12-year-olds, incidence rate to any tooth for any age, male-to-female prevalence ratio (PR) in 12-year-olds, with 95% confidence intervals (95 CIs), were extracted/calculated. Study quality, Z-score distribution, funnel plot symmetry analysis, between-study heterogeneity, sensitivity, and subgroup analyses were performed. Selected primary studies were 102 (permanent dentition; 268 755 individuals; median age, 13.8 years), 46 (primary dentition; 59 436 individuals; median age, 3.4 years), 42 (12-year-olds; 33 829 individuals), 11 (incidence rate; 233 480 person-years; median age, 7.8 years), and 31 (PR; 16 003 males, 16 006 females). World TDI frequency resulted as follows: permanent dentition prevalence 15.2% (95 CI, 13.0%-17.4%); primary dentition prevalence 22.7% (95 CI, 17.3%-28.7%); 12-year-olds prevalence 18.1% (95 CI, 15.3%-21.0%); incidence rate, 2.82 (95 CI, 2.28%-3.42%) per 100 person-years; PR, 1.43 (95 CI, 1.34%-1.52%). Differences between WHO Regions were found. This study shows that more than one billion living people have had TDI. TDI is a neglected condition which could rank fifth if it was included in the list of the world's most frequent acute/chronic diseases and injuries.

–  Background/Aim:  Several reports have been published during the past decades showing a lack of care of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) as well as dentists and lay people having insufficient knowledge on how to manage TDIs. This situation could seriously affect the outcome of TDIs, especially a complicated TDI. The overall aim of this study was to present a review of dental trauma care with focus on treatment and dentists and lay persons’ lack of knowledge on how to manage a TDI. A further aim is to introduce the actors involved and the outcome of their education. Material and method:  The databases Medline, Cochrane, SSCI, SCI and CINAHL from the year 1995 to the present were used. Focus was on treatment need, inadequate care, lack of knowledge and poor organization of emergency care. Result:  Studies from different countries demonstrated that treatment needs were not properly met despite the fact that not all untreated teeth needed treatment. Treatment in emergency dental care was often inadequate or inappropriate. With the exception of lay people, teachers, medical personnel and even dentists performed inadequate care. Furthermore, information to the public was insufficient. Despite a low level of knowledge, lay people expressed a strong interest in helping someone with a TDI. Conclusion:  The conclusion from this review is that consideration must be given the problematic results from different studies on education or information about dental trauma care. Despite that the studies reviewed were from different countries and groups of people, the results seem to be consistent, i.e. that a large part of the educational process of professional caregivers and lay people has failed. Too much hope seems to be put on lay people to handle difficult cases such as tooth avulsion. Education of caregivers and lay people is a field where much remains to be explored.

The aim was to account for the total time spent by professional care-givers (direct time) and by patients and companions engaged as support and help (indirect time) to treat and otherwise attend to children and adolescents with dental trauma to primary and permanent teeth. The study was based on a random sample of 192 children and adolescents with dental traumas reported to an insurance company and prospectively followed up by telephone interviews over a period of 2 years after the trauma episode. On average, direct time represented 16% of total time for all visits for dental trauma to permanent teeth and 11% for trauma to primary teeth. The most extensive type of indirect time was transport time, which took up 30% of the total time spent on injuries to permanent teeth and 36% for injuries to primary teeth. Multiple regression analysis of the impact of dental and demographic injury variables on the time variables showed that complicated trauma was associated with extended time, direct as well as indirect, for permanent and primary teeth injuries. Our estimate of the average relative increase in total time spent by patients and companions in cases of complicated injury to permanent teeth was 117% (95% confidence interval [CI], 52-211) for patients and 112% (95% CI, 42-217) for companions. For transport time a strong predictor was access to a dental clinic near the place of residence. Lack of access could extend the average transport time by 180% (95% CI, 80-335) for patients and 163% (95% CI, 67-317) for their companions in cases of injuries to primary teeth.