Tooth 'aches': Injuries related to toothbrush use

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Injury Prevention
• Dental Hygiene

Background:

• Toothbrushes are common medical devices for daily oral hygiene across all age groups.
• Descriptive studies on toothbrush-related injuries (TRIs) are limited, with existing literature focusing on case reports.
• Understanding the epidemiology of TRIs in Canada is crucial for developing targeted prevention strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the incidence, circumstances, and types of toothbrush-related injuries (TRIs) in Canada.
• To identify trends and risk factors associated with TRIs over a 26-year period.
• To inform public health initiatives for safer toothbrush use.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP) database from 1990 to 2016.
• Analyzed narrative text and variable codes to determine injury circumstances, mechanisms, and types.
• Employed data mining techniques and calculated average annual percent change to assess temporal trends.

Main Results:

• TRIs are infrequent, with low rates observed across all age groups (16.9/100,000 for ages ≤14 and 2.4/100,000 for ages ≥15).
• The majority of injuries occurred in individuals aged 14 and below, with falls being the most common cause (50.0%).
• Lacerations to the internal mouth were the most frequent injury type (51.9%), while intentional injuries were noted in older individuals (e.g., inducing vomiting).

Conclusions:

• Despite being rare, toothbrush-related injuries are a public health concern in Canada.
• Risk mitigation is possible through education on safe and appropriate toothbrush use for all ages.
• Addressing behaviors associated with routine toothbrushing habits can enhance injury prevention efforts.