Epidemiology of Orofacial Trauma in Syrian Pediatric Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Study on Prevalence and Injury Patterns.

Background/aim: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of orofacial-dental trauma (OT) among 582 child athletes (aged 6-16) in Damascus, Syria.

Material and methods: Data were collected through structured interviews and a 13-item questionnaire administered between December 2023 and December 2024. The questionnaire included information about demographics, sports participation, injury history (including both soft and hard tissue injuries), mechanisms of injury, and use of protective gear. A pilot study confirmed the reliability of the questionnaire with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.829. A two-stage sampling method was employed, which involved randomly selecting clubs from a list provided by the General Sports Federation and then randomly sampling 20% of players from each club.

Results: The overall prevalence of OT was found to be 45.5%. Age and type of sport significantly affected injury patterns; although males exhibited a slightly higher prevalence, this difference was not statistically significant. The highest injury rate (52.5%) was seen among athletes with 1-5 years of experience. The 12-16 age group was more likely to experience extra-oral soft tissue injuries (39%), followed by dental injuries (23.5%). Falls were identified as the most frequent mechanism of injury, with the highest injury rates (53.2%) occurring during training sessions. Overall, the use of protective gear was low (27.3%), and while injured athletes were less likely to use such gear, this difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusions: This study highlights the significant burden of OT among young athletes in Damascus and emphasizes the urgent need for improved prevention strategies, particularly promoting the use of protective gear.