Pattern of Traumatic Dental Injuries Among Victims of Interpersonal Violence: Evidence From a Reference Dental Service in Southern Brazil.

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to describe the prevalence of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) with etiology attributed to interpersonal violence among cases treated at a referral center for the management of TDIs in Southern Brazil, to identify and characterize the latent classes of TDIs, and to assess whether there was an association between the types of interpersonal violence and both the types of TDIs and their latent classes.

Methods: This observational retrospective study used data from dental records at a TDI's referral center. Records were included if TDI's etiology was related to interpersonal violence-community violence or family violence, and the first dental consultation occurred between 2011 and 2021. TDIs were classified using Andreasen's criteria. Latent Class Analysis was performed to identify latent classes of TDIs. Descriptive analysis was performed along with bivariate associations (Fisher's Exact and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney Tests). Stata 18.0 was used in all analyses (α = 5%).

Results: This study included 118 dental records with interpersonal violence as the TDI's etiology (22.9%). Of these, 87.2% were classified as community violence and 12.7% as family violence. Most victims were male, aged 26-40, with 75.4% injured through bodily assault, often in public places. Crown fractures were the most common TDI (42.2%), followed by concussion/subluxations and avulsions (26.5%, both). The latent class analysis identified three TDIs' classes: dentoalveolar injuries, dental fractures, and combined injuries, with a probability of individual inclusion of 17.7%, 33.3%, and 49.9%, respectively. No associations were found between the type of interpersonal violence and TDIs nor latent classes.

Conclusions: This study identified that 22.9% of TDIs were attributed to interpersonal violence, with crown fracture, concussion/subluxation, and avulsion being the most prevalent. TDI latent classes showed distinct and complex patterns. Although no associations with types of interpersonal violence were found, this study offers valuable evidence exploring TDI patterns in victims of interpersonal violence.