Obliteration after recurrent dental trauma in a 7-year-old patient: 4-year follow-up

Traumatic dental injuries are reported to have a high prevalence regardless of the region or the age group. Concussion injuries are considered as moderate, but very frequent injuries. They are associated with a wide spectrum of pulpal reactions. Pulp canal obliteration in spite of negative sensitivity proves ongoing pulp vitality. This case report presents multiple traumatic dental injuries in both maxillary central incisors with two different pulpal reactions during a follow-up period of 4 years in a healthy 7-year-old girl. The initial trauma with a concussion required no invasive treatment. Three days later, the child presented again with a new dental trauma. At the follow-up appointments after 3, 4, 6, 12, and 18 months, the traumatized teeth were functional and asymptomatic, but the radiograph after 1 year showed partial obliteration in the coronal part of the maxillary right central incisor. After 4 years, the periapical radiograph showed complete apical closure, and increase in root length and dentin thickness for both maxillary central incisors, with almost complete root canal obliteration in the right central incisor, whereas the left central incisor showed no signs of obliteration. Thus, this case showed different pulpal reactions to traumatic dental injury and that the loss of clinical sensitivity of the obliterated tooth does not automatically mean the loss of vitality and the need for endodontics. Regular follow-ups are essential in concussion cases to observe the pulp vitality and root formation. Keywords: concussion, obliteration, pulp, root canal, trauma