Initial management of dental trauma: musts, shoulds, and cans

When dental trauma occurs, initial management on the day of injury has a determining influence on healing and thus on the prognosis of the affected teeth. Improper, delayed, and/or inconsistent treatment often has far-reaching consequences that cannot be reversed later, even with great effort, especially in children and adolescents. In most cases, it is unrealistic or impossible for the patient to get to a specialized dental trauma facility in time. Therefore, it is every dental practitioner's duty to provide adequate initial diagnosis and treatment of dental trauma at their dental practice, even if they do not have routine experience in this area. This article serves as a guide to the initial management of dental trauma. It utilizes a three-tiered approach to illustrate which initial management measures are absolutely essential (MUSTS), which should ideally be performed (SHOULDS), and which are not top priorities but can be performed (CANS) if the necessary time, training and experience, and equipment and facilities are available. For further treatment, dental practitioners should realistically assess the limits of their ability to treat complex dental trauma cases and, if necessary, they should refer the patient to a specialist or specialized treatment center. (Quintessence Int 2020;51:763–774; doi: 10.3290/j.qi.a45103; modified from a previously published article (in German) Quintessenz 2019;70(9):990–1002) Keywords: dental trauma, emergency treatment, initial management