Relationships between Clinical and Non-Clinical Variables concerning Traumatic Dental Injuries in Deciduous Teeth Attended in a Children’s Hospital

Abstract

This study aimed to describe Traumatic Dental Injuries (TDI) in a child population, with a discussion focused on the impact of non-clinical variables on TDI. A cross-sectional, descriptive, and relational study about TDI in deciduous dentition in a children’s hospital was performed. A total of 166 patients were included, of which 51.8% were male and 48.2% were female. Subluxation was the most observed injury (37.5%), and high-severity lesions predominated (60.2%). Regarding non-clinical variables, 89.2% of the patients attended urgent care centers within 24 h, and 43.4% within the first 3 h. Pointed objects were the leading cause of TDI (47%). Most TDIs were concentrated between the ages of 2 and 4 (53.5%). Concerning the place of TDI occurrence, the school (41.6%) was associated with faster urgent dental care attendance, and the home (37.3%) was associated with TDI occurrence in children under 2 years of age. Previous TDI experience (24.1% of patients) did not generate differences in the time interval between the TDI and arrival at the hospital, compared with children without a TDI history. While the behavior of clinical variables agrees with the literature reviewed, several non-clinical variables show wide differences. There is a need to identify the non-clinical variables that can significantly interact with phenomena specific to the study population (social, demographic, and cultural). The study of these variables can be useful in applying health policies. In the group studied, the non-clinical data reveals the need to educate parents or guardians on the importance of timely care in TDI, the long-term consequences of traumatism affecting deciduous dentition, and the implication of the maturation of the child’s motor skills in TDI.

Keywords

• Traumatic Dental Injuries
• deciduous teeth
• non-clinical variables