Incidence of dentofacial injuries in children: a 2-year longitudinal study

In this prospective study the incidence of dentofacial injuries in 199 children aged 8 to 10 years was analyzed. Dentofacial injuries were recorded by a questionnaire and a clinical examination. After the first examination, each subject was re-examined at yearly intervals over a period of 2 years. Incidence rates were calculated in percentages and the chi-square was applied to test statistical differences. The 95% probability level was used. Results showed that the overall incidence of dentofacial injuries was 45.2%. The percentages for boys and girls were 28.6 and 16.6 respectively. The chi-square test showed significant gender differences, while differences by age were not significant. The highest incidence was recorded for dental injury followed by facial injury, historical evidence of injury and dental and facial injury.