DOI: 10.36347/sjds.2018.v05i05.008

Pages: 291-297

Traumatic dental injuries of the permanent anterior teeth among the school children are a tragic but often the ignored problem. The lack of availability of knowledge on its etiology and treatment makes it a potential dental public health problem. The objective of the present study was to assess the prevalence of the traumatic dental injuries of the permanent anterior teeth in relation to different age group, probable causes, and percentage of those seeking the treatment in Chitradurga town. Descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among 3,363, 7-14 years old school children of Chitradurga town. Information regarding the cause of trauma, place of trauma and those seeking the treatment were collected by direct interview. Fifteen Primary and Higher Primary Schools and Five High schools were selected using simple random sampling procedure. Children aged 7-14 years were included in the study. Data was recorded using specially designed proforma. The collected data was subjected to statistical analysis. The 3,363 children examined 1892(56.3%) were boys and 1471(43.7%) were girls in the age group of 7-14 years. Prevalence rate of traumatic dental injuries was 5.5% in boys compared to 4.75% among girls. Prevalence of traumatic dental injuries was more in the age group of 10-12 years (52.5 %), than 13-14 years (29.5%) and 7-9 years (18%). Major cause of traumatic dental injuries to permanent anterior was fall while playing (58 %). Majority of traumatic injuries had occurred in home (52.1 %) than schools (26.8%). Only one child (0.5%) reported of taking the treatment from the dentist. Majority of the injured children (77.4%) were not aware of the duration of trauma to their tooth. Only one child (0.5%) had a history of avulsed tooth, without replacement and did not have knowledge of emergency management for avulsed tooth. Overall the study results showed lower prevalence of traumatic dental injuries of permanent anterior teeth, but there was a considerable negligence in