Social deprivation and traumatic dental injuries among 14-year-old schoolchildren in Newham, London.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the epidemiology of dental injuries among schoolchildren in Newham, London.


METHODS
This study was carried out as part of the annual Community Dental Service's School Dental Inspection (SDI) programme in Newham. All schoolchildren aged 14 years were invited to participate in the study. Dental examinations were carried out by one trained examiner (SM) and included presence of clinical evidence of dental injuries, treatment provided and needed in the upper and lower permanent incisors, size of incisal overjet and type of lip coverage. The postcode was recorded to assess the levels of social deprivation.


RESULTS
2242 out of 2684 children were examined. The prevalence of dental injuries was 23.7%. Treatment of dental injuries was neglected. Being male, having an incisal overjet greater than 5 mm and living in an overcrowded household increased the risk of having dental injuries.


CONCLUSIONS
The prevalence of dental injuries in Newham (23.7%), which is a deprived area of London, was much higher than the overall prevalence in the UK (17%). Traumatic dental injuries seem to be a serious dental public health problem among children in deprived areas. Thus, there is an urgent need to collect local data on dental injuries in order to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the dental health.
Marcenes
W
W
Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Royal Free and University College London Medical School and Department of Dental Public Health, St. Bartholomew's, UK. w.marcenes@public-health.ucl.ac.uk
Murray
S
S
D000293:Adolescent; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003441:Crowding; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000293:injuries; D003789:Dental Pulp Exposure / Q000453:epidemiology; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003804:Dentin / Q000293:injuries; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000293:injuries*; D008046:Lip / Q000473:pathology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008131:London / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000453:epidemiology; D015588:Observer Variation; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence; D011610:Psychosocial Deprivation; D011634:Public Health; D012307:Risk Factors; D012571:School Dentistry / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D014082:Tooth Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology; D018677:Tooth Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology