Prevalence of traumatic dental injuries and role of incisal overjet and inadequate lip coverage as risk factors among 4-15 years old government school children in Baddi-Barotiwala Area, Himachal Pradesh, India

Objective: To assess the prevalence of traumatic dental injuries (TDI) in school children in Baddi-Barotiwala, Himachal Pradesh, India. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in Government schools among 1059 government school children aged 4-15 years. The study was conducted from October 2009 to March 2010 during the school hours. The demographic detail was carried on a structured questionnaire. The data regarding the traumatic injuries was recorded using modified Ellis' classification. Results: Prevalence of TDI was found to be 4.15%. 95.45% of the injuries were to the maxillary anterior teeth. Maxillary central incisor was the most common tooth to be affected due to trauma (54.5%). Enamel with dentin fracture with pulp exposure was the main type of TDI (43.1%). The majority of TDIs were untreated (97.7%). Falls (54.5%) were found to be the main cause. Over jet over 3 mm and inadequate lip coverage were found to be important contributing factors for TDIs. Conclusion: The present study revealed a relatively low prevalence of dental trauma, but still this figure represents a large number of children. Therefore, educational programs are to be initiated for the community regarding causes, prevention and treatment of traumatic dental injuries. It is crucial to generate considerable efforts to implement health promotion strategies to reverse the observed trends and to provide treatment to TDIs to prevent their biologic and psychological consequences.