Traumatic injury to maxillary incisor teeth in a group of South Wales school children

Abstract

This study examines, from photographic records, the prevalence of accidental damage to maxillary incisor teeth in a group of 968 11/12‐year‐old South Wales school‐children; 15.3% showed evidence of trauma ranging from enamel fractures or discolouration to actual loss of a tooth. Boys (19.4%) showed a higher prevalence of trauma than girls (11%). Maxillary central incisors were the most at risk from trauma, with coronal fractures being the most commonly sustained injury. Those subjects who showed evidence of trauma had an statistically (p< 0.001) but not clinically significantly greater overjet than did those who had none. The percentage of subjects suffering trauma increased significantly with increasing overjet, but lip incompetence did not affect the prevalence of accidental damage. Though statistically unsupported due to the small numbers involved in this cohort, it appeared that the rougher nature of boys activities and their more active participation in sports were of greater importance than the magnitude of their overjet in determining whether their teeth were at risk from trauma. In contrast, it was the magnitude of the overjet which was the dominant factor in girls. Despite the wide availability of relatively simple means of restoration and, in the majority of cases, regular dental examinations, only 14.8% of traumatised teeth had received treatment at this age.