Influence of patient age on the nature of tooth fracture.
There is much controversy in the literature relating the incidence of tooth fracture to patient age. The nature (complete or incomplete) of fracture is one aspect that is frequently reported; however, the results highlight relative differences with respect to age and the inadequacy of the statistic used for analysis. This study: (1) reviewed the existing literature on the relationship of patient age and nature of tooth fracture, (2) investigated the nature of tooth fractures among attendees of an emergency clinic, and (3) assessed any relationship between nature of fracture and patient age. From the existing literature, 6 studies were suitable for combined analysis. The study was conducted among subjects attending the Student Emergency Dental Service in the University Dental Hospital of Manchester over a 2-year period, 1995-97. Each study subject had a fractured tooth and was examined by 1 of the authors and data were recorded. Combined analysis showed that the age of patients with incomplete fractures was higher than those with complete fractures (P <.05). A total of 229 patients exhibited complete (n = 263) or incomplete (n = 8) fractures of 271 teeth. Age range of 18 to 47 years demonstrated a skewed distribution with a median of 21 years. There was a statistically significant difference in age distribution between the 2 natures of tooth fracture (P <.05) with incomplete fractures associated with older ages. Incomplete tooth fractures are uncommon in students attending an emergency clinic. Complete fractures may occur at any age, while it appears that incomplete fractures are associated with older age groups.