Prevalence of Dental Trauma and Receipt of Its Treatment among Male School Children in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia

Background. Dental trauma is a common dental public health problem, and it affects 20% to 30% of permanent dentition worldwide. Objective. To evaluate self-reported dental trauma to permanent anterior teeth and the receipt of dental treatment among male school children. Materials and Methods. This cross-sectional study included grade 7 to 9 school children in Dammam/Al-Khobar, the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The participants responded to a pilot-tested self-completion questionnaire which contained questions about experience, types, place, and reasons for dental trauma and the receipt of dental treatment. Bivariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. Results. There were 258 students in the study with a mean age of 14.29 ± 1.11 years. Dental trauma was experienced by 39.5% of the participants. Tooth fracture (22.7%) was the most common type of dental trauma followed by tooth displacement (8.7%) and complete tooth removal (8%). The most common reason of dental trauma included fall (9.3%) and accidental hit by some objects (8.9). Home (19.8%), school (5%), and playground (4.2%) were reported as common places of dental trauma. Dental treatment was received by 20.5% of the samples. Most participants visited a dental clinic (10.8%) and used self-care at home (7.2%) after dental trauma. Nearly 4.7% of the participants received dental treatment immediately, 5% on the next day, and 2.7% after a month. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed a significant association of monthly family income (odds ratio = 0.44) with dental trauma (P=0.008). Conclusion. Dental trauma was highly prevalent among school children; however, few of them received care/dental treatment. Participants frequently experienced dental trauma due to a fall in their homes. Preventive measures should be taken to prevent dental trauma, reduce its burden, and improve quality of life.