Prevalence of dental trauma in children attending the Federal University of Ceará

• Published in: Revista odonto ciência Vol. 23; no. 4
• Main Authors: Lins de Sousa, Denise, Jeová Siebra Moreira Neto, José, Oliveira Gondim, Juliana, Gomes Bezerra Filho, José
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Porto Alegre EDIPUCRS 01-10-2008
• ISSN: 0102-9460; 1980-6523

Purpose: This cross-sectional study aimed to measure the prevalence of dental trauma in children treated at the Pediatric Dentistry Clinic of the Federal University of Ceara (UFC), Brazil, from January 2002 to December 2005. Methods: The sample consisted of 312 patients who presented a total of 489 injured teeth. The patients' clinical records were retrieved and provided the information used for statistical analyses. Results: Subjects were 61.9% males and 38.1% females (ratio of 1.6:1), with mean age of 5.84±0.62 year-old. Trauma was more frequent during the first infancy (33.7%), and the most common etiological cause was falls (63.5%). Most trauma injuries (60.3%) occurred at home. The maxillary central incisors were the most affected teeth (82.7%). Intrusive luxation and coronary fracture of the enamel and dentin without pulp exposure were the most common type of trauma in primary (32.3%) and permanent (46.7%) dentition, respectively. Conclusion: In this sample, luxation injuries were the most prevalent type of dental trauma for primary dentition, while more coronary fractures prevailed for permanent dentition. Key words: Epidemiology; tooth injuries; tooth fractures