Relationship between traumatic dental injuries and obesity in Brazilian schoolchildren

Abstract –  The aim of this study was to investigate if obesity is associated to the occurrence of dental trauma in the permanent anterior teeth of adolescents from Recife, Brazil. It included a random sample of 1046 boys and girls aged 12 years attending both public and private schools. The sample size was calculated using a 95% confidence interval level; a statistical significance of 5%; and an odds ratio of 1.55. The sample selection was carried out in two stages: first, schools were selected by simple sampling, and then children were chosen using a proportionality coefficient. Data were collected through clinical examinations and interviews, after examiner calibration. Dental trauma was classified according to ANDREASEN; ANDREASEN criteria. Obesity was considered according to National Center of Health Statistics – NCHS (USA) procedures for the assessment of nutritional status. Subjects were considered as non-obese when the observed percentile was ≤97, while obese adolescent presented percentiles >97. Data were summarized and analyzed using the statistical software spss . The prevalence of traumatic injuries was higher among obese boys than obese girls (17.2% and 16.2%, respectively), but there were no statistically significant differences between traumatic dental injuries and obesity ( P  > 0.05). It was concluded that the presence of obesity was not associated to traumatic dental injuries in adolescents from Recife, Brazil.