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Fracture of the alveolar process in children: causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment
Last reviewed: 07.07.2025
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Unlike the symptoms of alveolar process fractures in adults, alveolar process fractures in children are accompanied by more significant ruptures, detachment of the mucous membrane and swelling of the adjacent soft tissues. In addition, tooth germs are often damaged, which inevitably become infected with the microflora of the oral cavity. This is explained by the fact that the fracture line passes above the level of the apices of the roots of the teeth, in the location of the tooth germs, which are injured by both bone fragments and tooth roots, which often break off together with the alveolar process. Sometimes, follicles of permanent teeth are separated along with the process. As a result of displacement, they can die, and when they are exposed, premature eruption of teeth is observed.
The alveolar process can be torn off together with the soft tissues, but sometimes, on the contrary, it is held by them.
The displacement of the broken process leads to pathological mobility of the fragment and malocclusion.
[ Treatment of alveolar ridge fracture in children
Treatment of alveolar ridge fracture in children involves repositioning the alveolar ridge fragment, suturing the mucosal ruptures, and fixing the teeth on the fragment to a steel or aluminum wire splint. If it is impossible to use a wire splint due to the small size of the crowns, a quick-hardening plastic mouthguard or a splint made in a laboratory is used.