Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Dental Trauma in Schoolchildren in Birjand, Iran

Introduction: Teeth, especially anterior teeth, play a vital role in beauty, nutrition, chewing, social communication, and evolution in children. A total of 5% of the damage to the teeth follows the trauma and damage to different areas of the body due to severe collisions and accidents. This study investigated the dental trauma prevalence and its risk factors in 7-12-year-old children in Birjand, Iran, in 2021. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Birjand on 7-12-year-old schoolchildren in 2021. The student’s examination was performed in the classroom during the morning shift with mirrors, probes, and headlights. The fracture type, the injured tooth number, the amount of the overjet, the overbite, and the lip cover were recorded in the relevant checklist. Data were analysed using SPSS 26 and the Chi-square and Fisher’s exact test at the significance level of α=0.05. Results: The 699 children with an average age of 9.33±1.69 years participated in this study. The prevalence of dental trauma was 6.3% in the entire sample. Dental fracture damage was the most common type of trauma (39 (92.9%)), and the types of fractures and the trauma area were not significant in terms of gender (P=0.5), location place of residence (P=0.8), and age range (P=0.06). The mean scores of overjet and overbite in children were 2.18±1.60 and 2.68±1.44, respectively. The prevalence of traumatic injuries in children with normal overjet was less than in others (487 (94.6%)). Maxillary central teeth were mostly affected by trauma, and enamel fractures were the most dental trauma in children. Conclusion: The present study, in line with other similar studies, showed that the most important factors affecting the tooth were lip coverage and overjet, and the maxillary central teeth were more exposed to trauma than other teeth.