title: Prevalence and causes of fractured permanent incisors in 12-year-old suburban Nigerian schoolchildren.
abstract: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence and causes of traumatic dental injuries to the permanent dentition of 12-year-old school children in Ile-Ife, a suburban population in the south west of Nigeria. A dental trauma cross-sectional survey was carried out through clinical examination of upper and lower permanent incisors and interviews with 415 (212 boys, 203 girls) 12-year-old children attending private and public secondary schools in Ile-Ife, in 2004/2005 by one calibrated examiner. Garcia-Godoy's classification was used. The prevalence of traumatic dental injuries was 12.8%. There was no statistical difference in the prevalence between boys and girls P > 0.05. The most common cause of injuries was falls (49.1%), followed by traffic accidents (13.2%), collision against objects or people (11.3%) and misuse of teeth 9.4%. The commonest type of injury was enamel fracture alone (9.9%), followed by enamel-dentine fracture (4.8%). Majority of the accidents occurred at home (60.4%), followed by school (26.4%). The prevalence of traumatic dental injuries was on the increase among suburban Nigerian children in Ile-Ife and it has a potential to be considered an emerging public health problem.
authors.affiliation: Dental Hospital, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. casofowora@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Comfort A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Adekoya-Sofowora
authors.forename: Olufemi A
authors.initials: OA
authors.lastname: Adesina
authors.forename: Wakeel Olabamiji
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Nasir
authors.forename: Adeleke Oke
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Oginni
authors.forename: Vincent I
authors.initials: VI
authors.lastname: Ugboko
mesh_terms: D000059:Accidents / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000293:injuries*; D003804:Dentin / Q000293:injuries*; D019229:Dentition, Permanent; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000293:injuries*; D008297:Male; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D013383:Suburban Population; D014082:Tooth Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology