Anterior teeth fractureamong visually impaired individuals, India

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of anterior teeth fracture among visually impaired individuals.Materials and methods: A cross sectional study was carried out among 99 blind individuals (67.7% males and 32.3% females), they aged from 10-29 years. The investigation was carried out according to WHO criteria and by using WHO classification for teeth fracture. Statistical analysis for the association between occurrence of dental injuries and independent variables was carried out using the chi-square test. Results: An overall prevalence of traumatic injuries was 37.8%. Totally blind subjects (57.1%) had significantly higher percentage of teeth fracture than that of partially sighted (32%) (p=0.01). Females (43.1%) were having significantly higher teeth fracture than males (29.9%) (p=0.013). Permanent maxillary central incisors were most commonly injured tooth with injuries involving enamel and dentin being the most frequently observed. Increased overjet (85.7%) and inadequate lip coverage (78.6%) had significantly higher risk of sustaining traumatic injuries to teeth (p=0.001). Traumatic injuries were independent of age groups.Conclusion: Subjects with total blindness suffered higher dental injuries.