Falls account for majority loss of primary teeth when assessing trauma, Finds study

The varied prevalence of traumatic dental injuries (TDI) in primary teeth around the globe raises a serious knowledge gap in the available literature.

Therefore, Arun Kumar Patnana and colleagues from the Department of Dentistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India carried out the present study to evaluate the prevalence of TDI in primary teeth and also to evaluate the different factors associated with TDI in primary teeth.

Comprehensive searches were performed. The primary outcome was the prevalence of TDI in primary teeth, and the secondary outcomes were the factors associated with TDI in primary teeth. Qualitative analysis was done using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale adapted for cross-sectional studies.

The random-effect model was used for meta-analysis, and meta-regression analysis was done to evaluate the heterogeneity between the included studies. Meta-analysis was done using the "meta" package of "R" language. The overall quality of evidence was assessed using GRADEpro GDT software.

The following results were highlighted-

1. A total of 24 cross-sectional studies met the inclusion criteria representing 4876 TDIs in 22 839 children aged between 0 and 6 years old.
2. The overall prevalence of TDI in primary teeth was 24.2% (95% CI: 18.24-31.43, P = 0, I2 = 99%).
3. Falls contributed the highest number of TDI - 59.3% (95% CI: 41.05-76.40, P < .01, I2 = 98%) - in primary teeth.
4. The most common type of tooth fracture in primary teeth was an enamel fracture (61.9%), and prevalence of TDI in children with incompetent lip closure was 49.4%.

Hence, it was concluded that "the prevalence of TDI in cross-sectional studies of primary teeth was 24.2% with very low quality of evidence. Falls contributed the highest number of TDI in primary teeth, accounting for 59.3%. Children with incompetent lip closure have the highest prevalence (49.4%) of TDI in primary teeth."