Abstract

This work aims to determine the causes, scene and types of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) among adolescents, and to compare the findings in males with those in females. Information was elicited from a selected population of junior secondary school students by means of a close-ended, structured, self-administered questionnaire. Information elicited included age, gender, previous experience of trauma to the oral cavity/dentition, cause(s) of injury, scene of injury, type of injury sustained, the number of teeth involved and previous dental visits. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. There were 200 participants, comprising 98 (49%) males and 102 (51%) females. Falls were the most common (40.1%) cause of traumatic dental injuries. There was no significant association between gender and cause of injury (p=0.604). Majority (56.3%) of the injuries occurred at home; though males sustained more injuries in schools, injuries in females were sustained mostly at home. The most common type of TDI reported was luxation (49.5%). Injury related to one tooth was most (62.3%) frequently experienced. Most traumatic dental injuries in the adolescents were caused by falls and they occurred mostly at home among the females, while those in males were more frequent in schools. The commonest type of TDI was luxation injuries.

Key words: Traumatic dental injuries, adolescents, Port-Harcourt, fall, luxation, Nigeria.