Prevalence and causes of traumatic dental injuries in Ghanaian preschoolers in Accra Metropolis, Ghana.

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence, etiology, place of injury, and pattern of distribution of traumatic dental injuries to primary anterior teeth in Ghanaian preschoolers aged 2-5 years.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, multistage sampling technique was used to sample 346 preschoolers – 176 boys and 170 girls from 10 primary schools within the Accra Metropolis of Ghana. Approval from the University of Ghana Ethical Committee and school authorities, as well as consents from parents were obtained before the study commenced. Intra-oral examination of primary dentition was conducted on all study participants from April to July 2018. The children were clinically examined using WHO diagnostic criteria modified by Andreasen and Andreasen. STATA/SE 17.0 was used to analyze the dataset. At the 95% significance level, Pearson’s Chi Square and Fisher’s Exact tests were conducted to ascertain whether there are statistically significant differences in proportions of certain clinical parameters of traumatized anterior primary teeth by sex of the study participants.

Results: The prevalence of traumatic dental injuries amongst Ghanaian preschoolers was 7.2%. The largest proportion of traumatic dental injuries were seen amongst those who were 3 years old (29.48%), whilst the least proportion of injuries occurred amongst the 2-year-old (17.91%) category. There was no significant difference in proportion of traumatic dental injuries between boys and girls. Uncomplicated crown fracture was the commonest type of dental injury (64.71 %) whilst complicated crown fracture was the least (8.82 %). Moreover, primary anterior teeth in the upper right quadrants sustained more traumatic injuries (52.94 %) compared to those in the upper left quadrants (47.06 %), though there was no statistically significant difference in proportion of site of injury between boys and girls. No traumatized primary mandibular canines and incisors were recorded. Fall (84%) was the commonest cause of dental trauma and (72%) of the injuries occurred at home. All the Ghanaian preschoolers examined, who had sustained dental injuries, have never been to the dentist.

Conclusion: The prevalence of traumatic dental injuries in Ghanaian preschoolers was 7.2%. Uncomplicated crown fractures were most common whilst the 3-year-old children sustained the most traumatic injuries to the upper primary incisor teeth. Non-treatment of all traumatized teeth among the studied population calls for concern. Specific dental public health interventions and policies are needed to create awareness on the importance of early treatment of fractured teeth to prevent potential complications.