Abstract
Traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) can occur at any age. They may cause health, functional, esthetic, and psychological problems, negatively affecting quality of life. The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence, causes, treatment, and risk factors of TDIs among Polish adolescents. As part of a cross-sectional national monitoring survey concerning the oral health condition and its determinants in the Polish population, 992 15-year-olds of both sexes were examined. The subjects were the residents of the urban and rural areas of 10 from a total of 16 provinces of the country. Caries-affected teeth were assessed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, and caries prevalence and the decayed, missing or filled teeth (DMFT) index values were calculated. Traumatic dental injuries were assessed with the use of the WHO criteria, modified for retrospective evaluation. The details of clinically diagnosed TDI were supplemented by a questionnaire and an interview. Overall, TDIs occurred in 22.0% of the subjects, similarly often in urban and rural areas (23.0% and 20.9%, respectively; p = 0.439), and more frequently in males than in females (26.2% and 18.2%, respectively; p = 0.002). The most common damage was crown fracture (46.2%), followed by luxation (43.9%) and avulsion (9.9%). Among the traumatized teeth, 73.8% received crown fracture restorations, 29.6% root canal treatment, and 17.5% were splinted due to luxation or avulsion. The most common cause of TDIs were accidental falls - 96.3%, including playing sports (27.1%), the other referred to violence/fight (3.7%). Nearly 14% of the accidents took place at school. The likelihood of TDI experience in males was 1.59-fold higher than in females. Males revealed a 2.76-fold higher probability of TDI incidence during participation in sports activities. Other predictors of TDIs were a low level of education of the mother, a poor socioeconomic status and a high DMFT score. A relatively high prevalence of TDIs in Polish 15-year-olds calls for effective planning and intervention to prevent the occurrence of the injuries and their aftereffects.
Highlights
Traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) can occur at any age
The most common cause of TDIs were accidental falls – 96.3%, including playing sports (27.1%), the other referred to violence/fight (3.7%)
A relatively high prevalence ofTDIs in Polish 15-year-olds calls for effective planning and intervention to prevent the occurrence of the injuries and their aftereffects
Summary
Traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) can occur at any age. Their prevalence worldwide has not been assessed thoroughly, probably due to the usage of different classification criteria. Petti et al evaluated the world TDI frequency on the basis of papers published in the years 1996–2016 and obtained the following results: 15.2% in permanent dentition; 22.7% in primary dentition; and 18.1% in 12-year-olds.[1] age is an essential risk factor of TDIs, since a higher occurrence rate has been found in the periods of childhood and maturation.[2] The injuries are most frequently observed between 2 and 5 years of age During this developmental period, children learn to walk and run, but they often fall due to insufficiently developed coordination. They may cause health, functional, esthetic, and psychological problems, negatively affecting quality of life
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