Summary of: Traumatic dental injury and social deprivation in five-year-old children in Scotland 1993-2007

Key Points

• Informs the prevalence of trauma to the primary incisors of five-year-olds in Scotland is low.

• Highlights there was no association between trauma and social deprivation.

• Stresses there is an incomplete collection of data relating to trauma to five-year-olds' primary incisors in Scotland and any current data is likely to be an underestimate.

Abstract

Objective To describe the pattern and time trends of dental injury and its sociodemographic determinants among five-year-old children in Scotland.

Design and methods A retrospective analysis of Scottish Health Boards' Dental Epidemiological Programme (SHBDEP) and National Dental Inspection Programme (NDIP) records for the period 1993-2007. Annual incidences were calculated by age, gender, health board and deprivation categories (DEPCAT).

Results Out of 68,354 children examined only 405 (0.6%) had suffered dental injury with an overall incidence of 5.9/1000 population. There was a remarkable decrease in incidence over time. Virtually the same rates were recorded for the two genders (M:F = 1.13:1.0). The incidence varied significantly between health boards' areas (p <0.001); the highest incidence being reported in Dumfries (14.2/1,000 population), which was 11 times greater than that in Ayrshire (1.3/1,000 population). There was no significant association between risk of dental injury and increasing deprivation (p = 0.956); in DEPCAT 1 (most affluent) the incidence was 6.4/1,000 population, while in DEPCAT 7 (most deprived) the incidence was 5.7/1,000 population.

Conclusion The incidence of dental injury is varied among health boards, though it had significantly decreased since 1993. Gender and deprivation level had no effect on incidence of dental injury.

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