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Prevalence of fractured incisal teeth among children in Harris County, Texas
Author(s) -
Alonge Olusegun K.,
Narendran Sena,
Williamson Dan D.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
dental traumatology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.82
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1600-9657
pISSN - 1600-4469
DOI - 10.1034/j.1600-9657.2001.170506.x
Subject(s) - medicine , dentistry , dental trauma , maxillary central incisor , anterior teeth , socioeconomic status , significant difference , tooth fracture , orthodontics , population , environmental health
– Trauma to the teeth is a common reason for emergency room visits among children, with the maxillary anterior teeth being mostly affected. The consequences of dental trauma include disfigurement, speech defects and psychological effects. This is a cross‐sectional study comprising 1039 students, with 47% being males and 53% females. Teeth were examined for physical evidence of trauma. The prevalence of incisal fracture was 2.4% with no significant gender difference (2.9% and 2.0% among males and females, respectively). The male to female prevalence ratio was 1.45 to 1.0. The maxillary incisors accounted for 96% of fractured teeth. Among children with traumatized incisors, 86% had one tooth affected, while 14% had two traumatized teeth. The prevalence of incisal trauma was significantly higher among children of low socioeconomic status (χ 2 =5.86, P =0.02, df=1). Though African American and Hispanic children had higher prevalence than White children, the differences were not statistically significant. The study reports a low prevalence of incisal trauma among Harris County children and a socioeconomic difference. This study recommends further investigation of incisal trauma in this region as well as educational programs to prevent dental trauma.