Patient‐Reported Outcomes Following Loss of Permanent Incisors due to Traumatic Dental Injuries: A Retrospective Cross‐Sectional Pilot Cohort Study

PURPOSE: This study aimed to investigate the effects of trauma-related tooth loss before age 18 years on adolescents and young adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-three patients with permanent incisor loss due to traumatic dental injury (TDI) completed a newly developed pilot, TDI-specific questionnaire evaluating their experiences following the loss of a permanent incisor. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze responses, and multiple linear regression was used to examine the effects of age and sex. RESULTS: Patient-reported outcome measures indicated that 74.2% of the respondents reported an impact of tooth loss on their appearance. The mean score for perceived esthetic impact was 3.62 on a 0-10 scale. Despite treatment completion, 78.5% of patients reported recurring thoughts regarding their tooth loss, and 81.7% indicated that, to varying degrees, their tooth loss imposed limitations on their social interactions. Dissatisfaction with temporary tooth replacements was reported by several patients. Among the 93 patients, 58 (62.3%) had received their permanent tooth placement and expressed very high satisfaction with this solution (mean score: 9.05 on a 0-10 scale). Overall, 92.5% of the participants reported satisfaction with the communication during the treatment. Sex significantly affected the patient responses regarding esthetic appearance and satisfaction with the course of treatment. CONCLUSION: This patient-reported outcome-based study indicates that trauma-related tooth loss occurring at a young age adversely affects the oral health-related quality of life of adolescents and young adults, even after treatment completion, thereby impacting their overall quality of life.