Trends in accident-related traumatic dental injuries among children: a 10-year retrospective study of patients attending a university clinic.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to analyze accident-related traumatic dental injury (TDI) data to determine the occurrence, characteristics, and types of dental injuries in primary and permanent dentitions of underage patients attending a university clinic.

Materials and methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted at the Clinic of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry of Zurich from 2010 to 2019 and involved children with accident-related TDIs from the ages of 0 to 18 years old. Data regarding patient- and trauma-related characteristics were extracted and analyzed statistically according to dentition, tooth, age, sex, and time elapsed before visiting the dentist at 5%.

Results: The sample included 1,291 TDIs seen in a sample predominantly comprised of boys (59.8%), with a median age of 3.0 years (interquartile range 1.8-7.1 years), mostly in the deciduous dentition (71.6%) with ≥ 1 TDIs between 2010 and 2019. Accidents mainly occurred at home (45.6%) or outdoors (30.3%) and were primarily the result of falls (37.2%) or playtime (29.5%). Affected children often visited the dentist within the first 24 h (77.1%). Deciduous teeth (51.9%) and permanent teeth (37.2%; p = 0.001) primarily exhibited injuries to the periodontal tissue.

Conclusion: This study found boys were more prone to TDI than girls. Significant differences were seen in the injury mechanisms between deciduous and permanent teeth. Moreover, injuries to the periodontal tissue, with or without tooth fractures, were the most common trauma found.

Clinical relevance: Gaining insights into TDI patterns over time can help clinical practitioners develop more effective prevention measures.