A study by Dr. Flávia Torquato Dutra, et al estimated the prevalence of dental trauma among children aged one to 4 years old and tested the association between dental trauma and demographic, socioeconomic, and clinical factors. Five calibrated researchers examined a representative sample of 407 children in the city of Matozinhos, Minas Gerais, Brazil, during the 2008 national vaccination campaign. Statistical analysis was performed via descriptive analysis, chi-square test (P < .05), and logistic regression. The study found that the prevalence of dental trauma was 47%, and among the 407 children examined, 187 had suffered dental trauma. The most prevalent type of alteration due to dental trauma was enamel fracture (85%), followed by enamel-dentin fracture without pulp exposure (11%) and enamel-dentin fracture with pulp exposure (3%). The main location where the trauma occurred was at home (89%), with the cause reported by parents as accidents while running, playing, or crawling (79%). After adjusting for the variables, the child's age (P > .01) and number of siblings (P > .01) remained associated with the outcome.
The study indicates the need for public health policies that include dental trauma as one of the priorities directed at young children.
(Source: Journal of Dentistry for Children, September-December 2010, Volume 77, Number 3)
