Trends and associated factors in prevalence of dental trauma in Latin America and Caribbean: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives This study aimed to perform a systematic review on the prevalence of, and trends in, dental trauma in permanent teeth in 'Latin America and Caribbean' region and possible factors associated with this injury. Methods Literature search was carried out, in PubMed database up to 07 July 2011, for articles written in Portuguese, Spanish, or English reporting on dental trauma prevalence in the Latin American and Caribbean countries. Meta-analyses were undertaken by using random effects modeling to satisfy the purposes of this review. Pooled estimates were calculated with a confidence interval of 95% (95% CI) both for prevalence and odds ratios (OR). Results This online searching strategy collected and listed 2436 articles on this topic. After evaluating their titles and abstracts, only 24 were finally selected for complete review and data collection. All studies had been performed during adolescence, mostly in 12-year-old adolescents. The pooled prevalence of dental trauma in permanent teeth was 18.6%. Positive summary association of dental trauma with boys (pooled OR=1.72; 95% CI: 1.57-1.89), inadequate lip coverage (pooled OR=2.26; 95% CI: 1.45-3.52), and increased overjet (>5mm) (pooled OR=1.98; 95% CI: 1.61-2.44) were observed across all meta-analysis models. Differences in estimation could be observed when different criteria were used for evaluating dental trauma. On the other hand, prevalence of dental trauma did not tend to show sudden changes over time, despite criteria used. Prevalence of dental trauma after 2000s tended to decrease over time. Conclusions Approximately 15-20% of the adolescents in Latin American and Caribbean countries have shown some type of dental trauma in permanent teeth, and it seems there is a trend of decreasing prevalence of dental trauma in the studied areas of this region. Boys, adolescents presenting inadequate lip coverage, or an increased overjet greater than 5mm are more likely to have traumatic dental injuries.