Relationship between traumatic dental injuries and obesity in Brazilian schoolchildren

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 < or = 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.