Traumatic dental injuries of permanent incisors in 11- to 13-year-old South African schoolchildren

Traumatic dental injuries (TDI) are common in children. There are few data on prevalence of TDI in South African populations. We assessed the prevalence and causes of TDI to anterior teeth in 11- to 13-year-old South African schoolchildren through a cross-sectional study, using a random cluster sampling method. Oral examinations were performed by calibrated examiners following training for TDI to anterior permanent incisor teeth (eight teeth) using a modified version of Ellis's classification. Of the study population of 2610 children aged 11- 13 years old from 26 primary schools, 1665 children participated. The response rate was 64%. More than two-thirds (64.4%) were 12 years old. One hundred and six children had a TDI (6.4%). After adjusting for the effect of age and socio-economic status, boys had an almost 2.5 (95% CI: 1.59, 3.69) times higher probability of having a traumatic dental injury than girls. The highest prevalence was in 12 year olds and in the high socio-economic status group. Most of the children had trauma to one tooth. Enamel fracture was the main type of TDI (69.1%). The majority of the TDIs were untreated (85.4%). Homes and schools were the most common places where TDIs occurred, while only 5.7% occurred on a street, road or pavement. Falls were the main cause of TDIs. Sport was the second most common cause and the third most common cause was collision with objects. The present study indicates that the prevalence of TDIs in schoolchildren is not as high as has been reported in other countries. The prevalence of TDIs in this population was relatively low.