Dental Trauma Experience, Attitudes and Trauma Prevention in 11- to 13-Year-Old Lithuanian Schoolchildren

• Published in: Oral health & preventive dentistry Vol. 18; p. 373
• Main Authors: Zaleckienė, Vaida, Pečiulienė, Vytautė, Aleksejūnienė, Jolanta, Drukteinis, Saulius, Zaleckas, Linas, Brukienė, Vilma
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany 01.04.2020
• Subjects: Adolescent; Athletic Injuries; Attitude; Child; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dentition, Permanent; Humans; Overbite; Prevalence; Tooth Injuries; trauma index; mouthguards; self-reports; children; dental trauma
• ISSN: 1757-9996
• DOI: 10.3290/j.ohpd.a43309

To identify the prevalence and determinants of dental trauma in permanent anterior teeth among 11- to 13-year-old schoolchildren, to compare self-reported dental trauma rates with clinical examination trauma rates, and to examine mouthguard use among children engaged in contact sports. A probability sampling scheme was used to recruit schools, with all 6th grade children in the selected schools invited to participate. A total of 2621 caregiver consent forms were sent, of which 807 were returned (31%). Caregivers were asked four trauma-related questions. Clinical examinations included assessment of dental trauma experience (trauma index with five severity codes), lip competence and incisal overjet. Child- and tooth-level analyses were performed. Clinical evidence of dental trauma was found in 52% of participants, 13% self-reported dental trauma, and 7% of children did not remember the occurrence of any trauma. The two most frequently self-reported reasons of dental injury were falls or collisions with objects (63%) and sport/leisure activities (32%). Nearly half of the more severe dental injuries did not receive the necessary treatments. One-third of schoolchildren participated in contact sport activities, but only 3% always used mouthguards. There was a substantial difference between the clinical and self-reported findings. Logistic regression analyses revealed no statistically significant associations between dental trauma experience and the potential determinants studied: gender, lip coverage and overjet. In this study, traumatic dental injuries were observed with 52% prevalence. A substantial discrepancy between self-reported and clinical findings was observed.