Traumatic Injuries of Primary Teeth: Analysis of Types and Causes

Uvod: Svrha rada bila je identificirati neke rizične čimbenike vezane za nastanak traume mliječnih zuba i određene oblike zubnih ozljeda kod djece liječene u Zavodu za dječju i preventivnu stomatologiju Stomatološkog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu. Metode: Istraživanje je provedeno na uzorku od 97 djece u dobi od jedne do pet godina - ukupno su imali 166 ozlijeđenih mliječnih zuba. U skupini su bila 63 dječaka i 34 djevojčice, a bio je primijenjen epidemiološki model “sredstvo-domaćin-okružje”. Dobiveni podaci zatim su uneseni u bazu podataka pripremljenu za ovaj projekt u programu Microsoft ® Access. Rezultati: Analiza je pokazala da se najviše ozljeda dogodi kod djece između dvije i četiri godine, a omjer između dječaka i djevojčica iznosi 1,8 : 1. Najčešće su zahvaćeni maksilarni središnji sjekutići - u 79 posto slučajeva. Lateralna luksacija, kao česta ozljeda, zabilježena je kod 34, 9 posto djece. Većina ozljeda dogodila se kod kuće (62,8 %) ili na igralištu (15,1 %). Glavni uzroci traume bili su udarci u tvrdi predmet (49,5 %) i padovi (36,1 %). Zaključak: Laksacija i subluksacija dominantna su vrsta traumatskih ozljeda mliječnih zuba (66,2 %). Uglavnom se događaju tijekom igre ili su posljedica pada. Budući da je najčešće mjesto nastanka u kući (62,8 %), roditelji i skrbnici trebaju biti obaviješteni o tome kako mogu spriječiti traumatske ozljede kod male djece.Introduction: The purpose of this study was to identify some risk factors related to the occurrence of dental trauma to the deciduous teeth and to identify particular type of dental injuries in children referred to Department of Paediatric Dentistry, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb. Methods: The study was carried out in the sample of 97 children, aged 1 to 5 years, with injured 166 primary teeth. The sample of 97 patients included 63 boys and 34 girls. The epidemiological model “agent-host-environment” has been applied in the study. Data have been entered into a data base program (Microsoft® Access) designed for this project. Results: The analysis has shown that the highest frequency of injuries occurred in children between 2 and 4 years of age. The frequency ratio between boys and girls was 1.8:1. The most frequently affected teeth were maxillary central incisors (in 79 %). Lateral luxation as the most common type of injury was observed in 34.9 % of cases. Most of the injuries occurred at home (62.8%) or on the playground (15.1%). Crashes against hard objects (49.5%) and falls (36.1%) were the main causes of trauma. Conclusion: Predominant types of traumatic injuries to the primary teeth are luxations and subluxations (66.2%). The most of injuries to the primary teeth occurred during children’s play and were consequences of falls. Since the most common place of incident occurrence is the home (62.8%). The parents and caregivers should be informed about possibilities for prevention of traumatic injuries in young children