Periodontal mechano-sensory responses following trauma to permanent incisor teeth in children

The aim of this study was to investigate mechano-sensory responses of injured and uninjured incisor teeth. Twenty-five children who had experienced dental trauma, together with age- and gender-matched controls, were studied prospectively. Touch thresholds of incisor teeth from both groups were determined using calibrated sets of von Frey hairs (force range 0.5-10.0 g in 0.5 g increments) using a forced choice staircase method. Forces were applied perpendicular to the buccal enamel surfaces along the midline, 2 mm from the incisal edge. Touch threshold was defined as the lowest force detected in three out of the five occasions. Following statistical analysis, P < 0.05 was considered significant. At initial examination, the touch threshold values of 25 traumatised teeth were significantly greater than the untraumatised controls (P < 0.001), and these values approached those of the control teeth over 3-12 months (P > 0.05). Dental trauma was associated with increased touch thresholds in permanent incisor teeth, with recovery toward healthy control values usually occurring between 3-12 months.