Dental trauma and oral health-related quality of life among 7^th-grade students of public elementary schools ¹

Dental trauma is a public health problem because of its high prevalence rates and treatment costs and for affecting mainly younger individuals.

Aim

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the variables associated with dental trauma and its influence on oral health-related quality of life among 7^th-grade students of public elementary schools.

Methods

The data was collected with semi-structured and self-administered questionnaires and an intraoral clinical examination (n = 204). The variables collected regarded dental trauma, lip coverage, overjet, oral health-related quality of life (Child Perceptions Questionnaire - CPQ_11-14 ISF: 8), and sociodemographic profile. Association tests and the Mann-Whitney test were performed at a 5% significance level.

Results

Dental trauma occurred in 12.3% of students, 94.6% had adequate lip coverage, and the mean overjet was 2.7 mm (±2.0). Sex was the only variable with a statistically significant association with dental trauma (p = 0.021). There was no statistically significant difference in the CPQ_11-14 ISF: 8 score between students with and without dental trauma (p = 0.136).

Conclusions

Dental trauma was significantly associated with sex and did not impact the oral health-related quality of life of the students.

Tooth fractures; Tooth injuries; Quality of life; Oral health