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. 2019 Jan 30;5(2):151-159.
doi: 10.1002/cre2.165. eCollection 2019 Apr.

Traumatic dental injuries in preschool-age children: Prevalence and risk factors

Catherine D Born  1 , Tate H Jackson  1 , Lorne D Koroluk  1   2 , Kimon Divaris  2   3
Affiliations

Traumatic dental injuries in preschool-age children: Prevalence and risk factors

Catherine D Born et al. Clin Exp Dent Res. .

Abstract

This study examined the prevalence, socio-demographic correlates, and clinical predictors of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) in the primary dentition among a community-based sample of preschool-age children. The sample comprised 1,546 preschool-age children (mean age 49 [range: 24-71] months) in North Carolina public preschools, enrolled in a population-based investigation among young children and their parents in North Carolina. Information on socio-demographic, extraoral, and intraoral characteristics was collected and analyzed with bivariate and multivariate methods, including logistic regression modeling and marginal effects estimation. The prevalence of dental trauma was 47% and 8% of TDI cases were "severe" (pulp exposure, tooth displacement, discolored or necrotic tooth, or tooth loss). In bivariate analyses, overjet and lip incompetence were significantly associated with TDI. Overjet remained positively associated with severe trauma in multivariate analysis, OR = 1.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) [1.2, 1.6], corresponding to an absolute 1.3%, 95% CI [0.7, 1.8], increase in the likelihood of severe trauma, per millimeter of overjet. Children with increased overjet (>3 mm) were 3.8, 95% CI [2.0, 7.4], times as likely to have experienced severe TDI compared with those with ≤3 mm. Overjet is a strong risk factor for TDIs in the primary dentition. Incorporating and operationalizing this information may help TDI prevention and related anticipatory guidance for families of preschool-age children.

Keywords: children; clinical predictors; risk; trauma.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Distribution of traumatic dental injury diagnoses in the study sample
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of overjet values (mm)
Figure 3
Figure 3
Final multivariable logistic regression model‐predicted probabilities and 95% confidence intervals of severe trauma, for males and females, according to overjet (mm)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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