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Work‐related traumatic dental injuries: Prevalence, characteristics and risk factors
Author(s) -
Ugolini Alessandro,
Parodi Giovanni Battista,
Casali Claudia,
SilvestriniBiavati Armando,
Giacinti Flavio
Publication year - 2018
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 - 10.1111/edt.12376
Subject(s) - dental trauma , medicine , epidemiology , occupational safety and health , injury prevention , poison control , environmental health , dentistry , pathology
Background/Aims The prevalence of work‐related oral trauma is underestimated because minor dental injuries are often not reported in patients with several injuries in different parts of the body. In addition, little data are available regarding their characteristics. The aim of this epidemiological study was to determine the prevalence, types, and characteristics of occupational traumatic dental injuries ( TDI s) in a large working community. Materials and Methods Work‐related TDI s that occurred during the period between 2011 and 2013 in the District of Genoa (Northwest of Italy, 0.86 million inhabitants) were analyzed. Patients’ data were obtained from the National Institute for Insurance against Accidents at Work database. Results During the 2 year period, 112 TDI s (345 traumatized teeth) were recorded. The prevalence was 5.6‰ of the total amount of occupational trauma. The highest prevalence was found in the fourth and fifth decades of life ( OR =3.6, P < .001), and males were injured more often than females (70.5% vs 29.5%, OR =2.8, P < .001). Service and office workers represented 52% of the sample, and construction/farm/factory workers and craftsmen were 48%. TDI s involved only teeth and surrounding tissue in 66% of cases, or in combination with another maxillofacial injury in 34%. They were statistically associated with construction/farm/factory workers group (Chi squared P < .01). Crown fracture was recorded in 34.5% of cases, subluxation/luxation in 10.7%, avulsion in 9%, root fracture in 3.8%, and concussion in 3.5%. Thirty‐two subjects (28.6%, 133 teeth, OR =4.3, P < .001) presented at least 1 traumatized tooth with previous dental treatment. Among 212 (61.4%) traumatized teeth, 67.5% were upper incisors, 17.5% were lower incisors, 3.3% were upper canines, 1.9% were lower canines, and 9.9% were bicuspids and molars. Conclusions Work‐related TDI s had a low overall prevalence, and fractures were the most frequent dental injury. Age, gender, and preexisting dental treatments represented risk factors for work‐related TDI s.