Citation

Alonge OK, Narendran S, Williamson DD. Dent. Traumatol. 2001; 17(5): 218-221.

Affiliation

University of Texas Houston Health Sciences Center, Dental Branch, Department of Dental Public Health and Dental Hygiene, 77030, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2001, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

11678541

Abstract

Trauma to the teeth is a common reason for emergency room visits among children, with the maxillary anterior teeth being mostly affected. The consequences of dental trauma include disfigurement, speech defects and psychological effects. This is a cross-sectional study comprising 1039 students, with 47% being males and 53% females. Teeth were examined for physical evidence of trauma. The prevalence of incisal fracture was 2.4% with no significant gender difference (2.9% and 2.0% among males and females, respectively). The male to female prevalence ratio was 1.45 to 1.0. The maxillary incisors accounted for 96% of fractured teeth. Among children with traumatized incisors, 86% had one tooth affected, while 14% had two traumatized teeth. The prevalence of incisal trauma was significantly higher among children of low socioeconomic status (chi2=5.86, P=0.02, df=1). Though African American and Hispanic children had higher prevalence than White children, the differences were not statistically significant. The study reports a low prevalence of incisal trauma among Harris County children and a socioeconomic difference. This study recommends further investigation of incisal trauma in this region as well as educational programs to prevent dental trauma.

Language: en