Traumatic injuries to the primary dentition are commonly encountered problems in dental practice. It is
found that 30% of the children had injuries to the primary dentition and 22% to the permanent dentition.
The greatest incidence of trauma to the primary dentition occurs at the ages of 2 and 3 as children
start to learn motor coordination. Because teeth and alveolar bone are traumatized simultaneously, alveolar
bone fractures are likely to occur when multiple teeth are involved in injuries.
Dental splints are indicated for the management of maxillofacial fractures. They enable anatomic reduction
of fractured segments and help immobilization and maintenance of the fragments after reduction.
They also act as a stabilizer during rehabilitation. Various types of dental splints are available. In this
case, routine resin-wire splint technique could not be applied because of the child’s uncooperative behavior.
Oral sedation was not indicated because N.P.O. had not been preceded. Therefore, we decided to use
open-cap acrylic splint instead.
Stabilization using open cap acrylic splint requires minimum chair time with reduced discomfort to both
patient and dentist. It is an effective means of splint for uncooperative children and especially useful
when other means of fixation have been failed. Because trauma on the primary dentition can affect the
underlying permanent tooth germ, it is important to monitor eruption process of the permanent dentition