Avulsion
Pronunciation: a-VUL-shun
The complete displacement of a tooth from its socket as a result of trauma, with severance of the periodontal ligament.
Full Definition
Avulsion is a dental traumatic injury in which a tooth is entirely knocked out of its alveolar socket. It is a dental emergency requiring urgent documentation of the time elapsed since injury, the storage medium used, and the reimplantation protocol followed. Editors working on emergency dental reports must not confuse avulsion with luxation (tooth displaced but still in the socket) or with extraction (elective or planned removal). The term is also used in oral surgery to describe the forceful tearing away of soft tissue. Accurate time-stamping in clinical notes is critical for medico-legal defensibility.
Usage
Usage note: Not interchangeable with 'extraction' or 'luxation'. Specify whether the tooth is a primary or permanent tooth, as reimplantation protocols differ.
In Context
- "Avulsion of UR1 was reported following a sporting injury; tooth stored in milk and reimplanted within 45 minutes." — Emergency clinical notes
- "The patient's records document avulsion rather than luxation, which must be corrected before submission." — Medico-legal report review