title: Retrospective study of traumatic dental injuries in primary teeth in a Brazilian specialized pediatric practice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence of traumatic dental injuries (TDI) in children younger than 7 years and the effect of predisposing clinical factors on their occurrence.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dental records of 2725 children younger than 7 years seen in a private pediatric dental clinic in Goiânia, Brazil, from February 1993 to December 2008 were analyzed. A group of 150 children without traumatic injuries and with similar characteristics to those of the trauma group were used to study predisposing clinical factors as follows: lip coverage (adequate/inadequate), overbite (normal/negative/deep), and overjet (less or greater than 3 mm). Frequency distribution and a chi-square test were used for data analysis. The level of significance was set at 5%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Clinical and radiographic data of 412 injured deciduous teeth were found in 383 records. TDI prevalence was 11.9%, with no significant difference between sexes. The maxillary central incisors were the teeth most frequently affected (83.3%), and the most frequent type of injury was subluxation (35.1%). TDI was most prevalent in the 13-to-36-month age group (47.7%). Home (43.5%) was the main place of occurrence, followed by school (10.1%); falls (50.3%) were the most common cause, followed by collisions with objects (18.2%). The first examination or treatment occurred in the first 24 h in 46.5% of the cases. The analysis of the association of predisposing clinical factors with TDI revealed no differences in lip coverage; however, overjet >3 mm and deep and negative overbite were significantly associated with TDI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  TDI in primary dentition should receive careful attention, particularly when it affects children younger than 3 years and in the presence of overjet, overbite, or both.
authors.affiliation: Department of Prevention and Oral Rehabilitation, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brasil. lilianguedes31@terra.com.br
authors.forename: Lilian de Fátima Guedes
authors.initials: Lde F
authors.lastname: de Amorim
authors.forename: Luciane Ribeiro Resende Sucasas
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: da Costa
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Estrela
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000061:Accidents, Home / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017677:Age Distribution; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D057887:Overbite / Q000150:complications; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012574:Schools; D018677:Tooth Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous / Q000293:injuries*