Traumatic dental injuries in the first year of life and associated factors in Brazilian infants.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study, was to investigate the incidence of traumatic dental injuries in the first year of life and their associated factors.

METHODS

Five hundred children were recruited at the outset of the cohort (at birth); 397 had an initial assessment at 6 months (investigation of demographic, socioeconomic, and environmental variables), and 378 were examined for dental trauma at the 1-year assessment (12-16 months); 122 children were lost in the follow-up, and 2 edentulous children were excluded from analysis.

RESULTS

Approximately 15% of the children (54/376) had dental trauma, with the most common type of injury being enamel fracture. The main reported causes of dental injuries were falls from the same level, furniture, and strollers or walkers. Logistic regression after adjusting for confounding showed that the odds of dental trauma was 2.6 times higher for children whose mothers with higher education compared to those with a lower education level (odds ratio [OR]=2.61; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.41-4.84). Family structure was associated with dental trauma, with an adjusted model showing higher odds for children from non-nuclear families compared to those from nuclear families (OR=2.28; 95% CI=1.18-4.39).

CONCLUSIONS

These results demonstrated a high incidence of dental trauma in the first year of life, improving knowledge for future development of preventive strategies to reduce risk of dental traumatic injuries.