Prevalence and distribution of dental trauma in the hospital environment

Abstract

The objective of this quantitative, cross-sectional, retrospective and descriptive study is to know the prevalence and distribution of dental trauma (DT) in two teaching hospitals in Paraná, between 2013 and 2021. Data (sociodemographic variables; International Classification of Diseases; type and reason of the DT; number of teeth involved and time of trauma occurrence) were extracted from the electronic medical records of patients with DT, by two researchers using a stan[1]dardized form, and described by absolute and relative frequencies. Among 1,216 medical records analyzed, only 51 showed DT. Men (n=41/80.4%) represented the majority of patients. Crown fracture was the most common type of DT (n=13/25.5%) and falls were the greatest motivation for the events (n=18/35.3%). Most DTs occurred before admission (n=46/90.2%) and 33 patients (64.7%) had up to two teeth affected by DTs. Due to the small number of medical records found, it is suggested that there are underreporting of DT cases in the surveyed hospitals. The recent insertion of dentists in the hospital environment, associated with the technical lack of team professional to identify DT, and the specific analysis of dental trauma, without the inclusion of facial events, may be linked to this underreporting.