Dental Trauma in Childhood: Can You Make It a Painless Experience?

Abstract
Successful management of dental trauma in childhood or adolescence, or in individuals with special needs, is of paramount importance both for the preservation and restoration of the injured tooth within the dental arch and for the overall experience and relationship that the injured patient and their family members will develop with the treating dentist. The key pillars for the proper handling of an emergency case include not only the dentist’s knowledge and training in providing first aid but also the knowledge of child psychology for appropriate verbal and clinical management and reassurance of the injured patient. In a dental trauma case, the child often enters the dental office without a scheduled appointment, experiencing pain, discomfort, and moments of distress, possibly without prior familiarization with the dentist. In today’s online seminar, we will review all behavior-shaping techniques, highlight the appropriate materials and resources that need to be included in the trauma protocol, in order to provide the highest quality of clinical care.