Abstract Objectives This study evaluated the evolution of cases of concussion and subluxation through a retrospective study of 20 years. Material and Methods Were examined clinical and radiographic records of 1,309 patients who underwent treatment of dentoalveolar trauma in the discipline of Integrated Clinic of the School of Dentistry of Araçatuba, UNESP, of which we selected 137 whose patients had concussion and subluxation injuries, with average age of 23.3 (SD – 10.96). The variables collected were: gender, age, history of previous and actual trauma, treatments performed, the presence of necrotic pulp, and time elapsed until the same trauma. The concussion and subluxation groups were subjected to statistical analyses using the SPSS 16.0 version software (α=0.05), Chi-square, and t-tests. Results Of the 301 teeth involved, 49 (16.3%) suffered concussion and 252 (83.7%), subluxation, being the upper anterior teeth the most affected (75.1%) for both conditions. Subluxation and concussion traumas were more prevalent in men aged 10 to 20 years, most caused by cycling accidents (36.2%). There was a concomitant presence of crown fracture in 21% of cases of concussion and 34.7% of subluxation. Pulp necrosis was detected in 16.3% (concussion) and 27.1% (subluxation) (p=0.12), and most occurred within 6 months after the trauma (p=0.29). The pulp necrosis shows a positive correlation with motorcycle accidents (p=0.01), direct impact (p≤0.0001), crown fracture with pulp exposure (p≤0.0001), darkening of the crown (p=0.004) and spontaneous pain (p≤0.0001); and negative correlation with indirect impact (p≤0.0001). Conclusions Although concussion and subluxation traumas are considered of minor degrees, they must be monitored, since the possibility of pulp necrosis exists, and its early treatment favors a good prognosis.

This study investigated the level of knowledge held by dentists about the possible treatment plan procedures for periodontal ligament injuries after dentoalveolar trauma. A 5-item self-applied questionnaire was prepared with questions referring to the professional profile of the interviewees and to the treatment plan they would propose for periodontal ligament injuries secondary to dentoalveolar trauma. The questionnaires were filled out by 693 dentists attending the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Brazilian Society for Dental Research, and the data obtained were subjected to descriptive analysis. Either the chi-square test or Fisher's exact test was applied to assess associations among variables, at a 5% level of significance. The results revealed that dentists experienced difficulty in establishing a treatment plan for subluxation, and for extrusive, lateral and intrusive luxations. In general, holding a dental specialty degree had no influence on the knowledge about treatment plan procedures for the most severe injuries. It could be concluded that the dentists participating in this study, whether specialists or not, did not have sufficient knowledge to treat most of the periodontal ligament injuries resulting from dentoalveolar trauma adequately.