Avulsed primary incisor — ORE Part 1 MCQ

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EasyPaediatric DentistryAvulsed primary incisorORE Part 1

A 3-year-old child falls and avulses an upper primary central incisor. The parent brings the tooth in milk 30 minutes later. The child is well, there are no signs of alveolar fracture, and bleeding is controlled. What is the most appropriate treatment?

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Correct answer: C — Do not reimplant and provide trauma advice with follow-up

Option C is correct. SDCEP guidance explicitly advises against reimplantation of avulsed primary teeth and recommends urgent follow-up assessment for permanent tooth damage. Option D incorrectly applies permanent tooth management to a primary tooth. Option B is inappropriate because reimplantation is not indicated, making extracellular root canal treatment irrelevant. Option E is partially correct (reassurance and follow-up) but fails because it recommends reimplantation. Option A is premature and inappropriate as initial management; space maintenance is not the response to acute avulsion. The key discriminator is age and dentition type: primary teeth are not reimplanted due to risk of harm to erupting permanent successors.

Reference: Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP). Emergency Dental Care Dental Clinical Guidance. Section on Avulsed Primary Teeth. https://www.sdcep.org.uk/media/wfrjkqax/edc-guidance.pdf