In a University of Adelaide news release, Dr. Doğramaci cautions against broken or knocked out young teeth that may lead to long-term issues. These include the possibility of root canal treatment or even tooth loss, requiring a lifetime of dental treatment.
The more a young patient’s teeth protrude, the higher the risk of damage.
A study made at the University of Adelaide of more than 50,000 children 19 years old and below confirms this.
“Traumatic dental injuries have been identified as the fifth most prevalent disease or injury globally and their subsequent management is costly,” says Dr. Esma Doğramaci, a Senior Lecturer in Orthodontics at the University of Adelaide. 
“Young children up to the age of six years with teeth that stick out more than three millimeters have over three times higher chance of trauma than children without protruding teeth. Children over six years with teeth that protrude more than 5mm have over double the chance of trauma,” she says.
While the number of traumatic dental injuries has fallen over recent decades, they have significant physical, psychological and economic consequences just the same.
Dr. Doğramaci was one of the researchers who carried out the study at the Adelaide Dental School, University of Adelaide, Australia.
The study, published in the journal Dental Traumatology, was led by Dr. George P. Arraj, a private dentist in Adelaide. The other researcher was Dr. Giampiero Rossi-Fedele, also of the Adelaide Dental School.
Corrective orthodontic treatment of children’s protruding teeth is usually made when all the permanent adult teeth have come through, at about the age of 12.
Meanwhile, the protruding teeth need to be protected. Fortunately, this need not be expensive.
“A dentist can easily measure how far a child’s teeth stick out and recommend whether they should be fitted with a brace,” says Dr. Doğramaci.
Simple braces which can reduce the prominence of protruding teeth and significantly reduce the chance of them being damaged.
As early as possible, children should be discouraged from sucking their thumb as it may cause the teeth to stick out, Dr. Doğramaci says, also adding that children should wear a mouth guard to protect protruding teeth when playing sports.
“Early identification and protection of protruding teeth through regular dental check-ups reduces the chance of early problems becoming long-term dental issues.”
In a University of Adelaide news release, Dr. Doğramaci cautions against broken or knocked out young teeth that may lead to long-term issues. These include the possibility of root canal treatment or even tooth loss, requiring a lifetime of dental treatment.
“Also, if orthodontic treatment is carried out on teeth that have previously suffered from trauma, further complications can occur during orthodontics that could lead to the loss of those teeth,” Dr. Doğramaci says.
The results of the study confirm that regular check-ups are a must for good long-term dental health, particularly for children./WDJ