Analysis of the Prevalence of Traumatic Dental Injuries in the Primary Dentition: Findings From a Cohort Study Involving 4-Year-Old Children From South Brazil
Funding: This work was supported by Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio Grande do Sul, Associação Brasileira de Saúde Coletiva, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, and Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior.
ABSTRACT
Objective
To identify factors associated with the prevalence of traumatic dental injuries (TDI) in children at 4 years of age.
Methods
Participants from the 2015 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort were included. Demographic, socioeconomic, behavioral, and environmental data were collected through interviews and physical examinations during cohort follow-up. Dental examination at 4 years of age revealed the presence of TDI. A theoretical model was constructed using a directed acyclic graph (DAG). A descriptive analysis was performed, followed by Poisson regression models relating TDI to each outcome.
Results
Data from 3650 4-year-old children were analyzed; the prevalence of dental trauma was 20.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] 18.9%–21.5%). The prevalence of TDI was lower among girls compared with boys, suggesting a protective effect of female sex (relative risk [RR] 0.80 [95% CI: 0.79–0.91]). Increased height for age (RR 1.55 [95% CI: 1.14–2.09]), increased overjet (RR 1.45 [95% CI: 1.2–1.74]), and anterior open bite (RR 1.26 [95% CI: 1.01–1.56]) demonstrated an association with TDI after testing regression models based on DAGs.
Conclusion
Male sex, increased height, and increased overjet and open bite were factors predisposing to TDI at 4 years of age. Understanding these factors can contribute to the implementation of targeted prevention strategies for reducing TDI and their potential long-term consequences.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Open Research
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
