BackgroundThis study assessed the prevalence of traumatic dental injuries (TDI) and its association with sociodemographic and physical characteristics in the anterior permanent teeth of 12-year-old schoolchildren at the city of Brasília – DF, Brazil.MethodsA cross-sectional, population-based study was conducted on a sample of 1,389 boys and girls aged 12 years, enrolled in public and private fundamental schools at the Administrative Region (RA) of Brasília, Brazil, from October 2011 to September 2012. The demographic details were achieved by a structured questionnaire. The study recorded the type of damage, the size of incisal overjet, and whether lip coverage was inadequate. Sociodemographic data included sex, income and educational level of the parents or caretakers.ResultsA total of 1118 schoolchildren were examined, yielding a response rate of 80.48%. The prevalence of TDI was 14.63% in public schools and 23.40% in private schools. The students did not differ according to sex, income and educational level of the parents or caretakers concerning the occurrence of traumas in permanent anterior teeth. Increased overjet and inadequate lip coverage were found to be important contributing factors for TDIs.ConclusionIn conclusion, this study showed an expressive prevalence of TDI in 12-year-old in schoolchildren at Brasília DF, Brazil. Sex and educational level of the parents were not associated with trauma. The increased overjet and inadequate lip coverage were significantly associated with dental trauma.

Education is extremely important to favor the knowledge on prevention and emergency management of an avulsed tooth, and may enhance the prognosis of tooth avulsion.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of dental trauma, its causes, sites and age at the occurrence of injuries and treatment needs related to dental trauma in schoolchildren aged 12 years at Brasília, DF, Brazil. Material and Methods: A crosssectional, population-based study was conducted on a sample of 1,389 schoolchildren of public and private schools. Two questionnaires were used: one targeted to parents/legal caretakers and the other responded by the schoolchildren. The criteria for classification of trauma used in the Children's Dental Survey in the United Kingdom were adopted. The examinations were performed by two trained and calibrated examiners (inter and intra-examiner kappa: 0.85 to 1.00). The association between dental trauma and the study variables was evaluated by the chi-square test. Results: A total of 1,445 students were examined, with a response rate of 80.48%. Prevalence of 14.63% (public schools) and 23.40% (private schools) of dental trauma was found. The most common cause of dental trauma was fall (7.87%), followed by collision with objects or persons (5.03%), inadequate use of the teeth (2.33%), sports accidents (2.11%) and car accidents (0.66%). It was observed that 256 students presented injury to at least one tooth, with predominance of enamel fracture (88.67%) followed by discoloration (5.47%), enamel and dentin fracture (3.90%) and tooth loss (1.95 %). The teeth most affected by trauma were the maxillary central incisors. The accidents occurred predominantly at home (44.25%) and at the school (26.99%). Only 28.51% had received treatment for the injuries. Conclusion: Dental trauma in the study population was significant, presenting diverse etiology and expressive treatment needs, indicating the importance of preventive programs to inform the population on the possible complications after trauma, as well as the need to follow-up traumatized teeth to avoid subsequent problems.

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