The aim of this study was to investigate the risk factors associated with the occurrence of dental trauma in permanent anterior teeth of schoolchildren in Recife, Brazil. It included a random sample of 1046 boys and girls aged 12 attending both public and private schools. The sample size was calculated using a 95% confidence interval level; a statistical significance of 5% (alpha); a sample power of 80%; and an odds ratio of 1.55. The sample selection was carried out in two stages: first, schools were selected by simple sampling, and then children were chosen using a proportionality coefficient. Data were collected through clinical examinations and interviews, after examiner calibration. Dental trauma was classified according to Andreasen criteria. Overjet was considered a risk factor when it presented values higher than 5 mm. Lip coverage was classified as adequate or inadequate, while obesity was considered according to National Center for Health Statistics procedures for the assessment of nutritional status. Data were summarized and analyzed using the statistical software SPSS. The prevalence of dental injuries was 10.5%. Boys experienced more injuries than girls, 12.2% and 8.8%, respectively (P > 0.05). Children attending public schools presented more traumatic injuries than those from private schools, 11.4% and 9.5%, respectively, but there was no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05). There was a statistically significant difference between traumatic dental injuries and overjet (P < 0.05); between traumatic dental injuries and inadequate lip coverage (P = 0.000), and between obesity and dental trauma (P < 0.05). It was concluded that boys attending public schools and presenting an overjet size >5 mm, inadequate lip coverage, and obesity were more likely to have traumatic dental injuries in Recife, Brazil.

NSF was demonstrated to be effective in arresting caries in children in poor communities.

The aim of this pilot study was to analyse whether overjet, lip coverage and obesity represented risk factors associated with the occurrence of dental trauma in the permanent anterior teeth of schoolchildren in Recife, Brazil. It included a random sample of 116 boys and girls aged 12 years, attending both public and private schools. Data was collected through clinical examinations and interviews. Dental trauma was classified according to Andreasen's criteria (1994). Overjet was considered as risk factor when it presented values higher than 5 mm. Lip coverage was classified as adequate or inadequate, while obesity was considered according to National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) procedures for the assessment of nutritional status. The prevalence of dental injuries was 23.3%. Boys experienced more injuries than girls, 30 and 16.1%, respectively (P >0.05). There was a statistically significant difference between traumatic dental injuries and overjet (P <0.05) and between traumatic dental injuries and lip coverage (P=0.000). No statistical significant differences were found when obesity and dental trauma were analysed (P <0.05). It was concluded that boys from lower social strata attending public schools, presenting an overjet size greater than 5 mm and an inadequate lip coverage, were more likely to have traumatic dental injuries in Recife, Brazil. Obesity was not a risk factor for dental trauma in this sample.

Of the 404 teeth extracted, 70.3 per cent were because of caries and its sequelae; 15.1 per cent because of periodontal disease; 6.4 per cent for pre-prosthetic reasons; 3.7 per cent wisdom teeth, 2.5 per cent for orthodontic reasons and 1 per cent for trauma and patient's request. A trend was observed for patients with less than secondary school education and lower salaries to have more tooth extraction due to caries, but the differences were not of statistical significance.

A systematic review of the literature was undertaken to evaluate the criteria used for the diagnostic classification of traumatic dental injuries from an epidemiological standpoint. The methodology used was that suggested by the Cochrane Collaboration and the National Health Service. A total of 12 electronic bibliographical databases (BBO, BioMed Central, Blackwell Synergy, Cochrane, DARE, EMBASE, HighWire, LILACS, MEDLINE, PubMed Central, SciELO, SciSearch) and the World Wide Web were searched. There was no attempt to specify the strategy in relation to date, study design, or language. The last search was performed in May 2003. Two reviewers screened each record independently for eligibility by examining titles, abstracts, keywords and using a standardized reference form. Disagreements were resolved through consensus. The final study collection consisted of 164 articles, from 1936 to 2003, and the population sample ranged from 38 to 210,500 patients. 54 distinct classification systems were identified. According to the literature, the most frequently used classification system was that of Andreasen (32%); as regards the type of injury, the uncomplicated crown fracture was the most mentioned lesion (88.5%). Evidence supports the fact that there is no suitable system for establishing the diagnosis of the studied injuries that could be applied to epidemiological surveys.

BackgroundSocioeconomic, perinatal and other life cycle events can be important determinants of the health status of the individual and populations. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of early childhood caries (ECC), perinatal factors (gestational age, teenage pregnancy and birth weight), family income and nutritional risk in children.MethodsA cross-sectional study in which 320 children were examined according to the criteria established by the World Health Organization. A previously validated questionnaire was used to obtain information from parents and guardians about family income, gestational age and birth weight. To check the nutritional risk, we used the criteria provided by the CDC (Center for Disease Control). For Statistics, Pearson’s, chi-square and the multivariate Poisson analyses were used to determine the association among variables.ResultsApproximately 20% of children had ECC, and the Poisson multivariate analyses indicated that family income (p = 0.009), birth weight (p < 0.001) and infant obesity (p < 0.001) were related to the increase of ECC, and gestational age was not significantly associated with ECC (p = 0.149). Pregnancy in adolescence was not included in the regression analyses model because it was not statistically significant in the chi-square test (p > 0.05).ConclusionThe prevalence of ECC was related to low family income, premature birth and infant obesity.

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The patient's race may influence a dentist's decision whether to extract or retain a decayed tooth.