Psychosocial factors and traumatic dental injuries among adolescents

To examine the association of traumatic dental injuries (TDI) and psychosocial factors in adolescents and to identify psychological profiles associated with TDI.

A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 531 students aged 13-16 years. Data were collected through oral examination and a structured interview with the adolescents, in conjunction with a questionnaire answered by their mothers. Associations between TDI and independent variables were analysed using a model-based approach, while an exploratory data analysis was applied to identify homogenous clusters of adolescents in relation to their sense of coherence (SoC), perception of parental support and their mothers' SoC. These clusters were examined further for associations with TDI and psychosocial variables.

The prevalence of TDI was 15.8%. Adolescents with high TDI prevalence were males, nonfirstborns, or those frequently engaging in physical activity. In addition, both their own SoC and that of their mother were low and they reported low parental support. They were also prone to complaining about the behaviour of their peer group. The hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) demonstrated three homogenous clusters. The cluster with the highest scores for all psychological variables included adolescents with low TDI prevalence, low paternal punishment, spacious home environment, high Family Affluence Scale (FAS) score, good school grades, few complaints about schoolmates and higher maternal education.

Psychosocial factors appear to influence an adolescent's risk of TDI. High parental support, high own and maternal SoC and a higher socioeconomic status (SES) are typical of adolescents with low TDI experience.