Causes of Dental Trauma: Results of Findings Among Patients in a Secondary Oral Healthcare Center, Jos, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: Dental trauma is a major type of traumatic dental injury (TDI) and a common presentation in many oral health facilities in Nigeria. Despite the high prevalence of TDIs, causes of dental trauma are yet to be fully investigated among Nigerians. AIM: The aim of this study is to determine the types of dental trauma, aetiology, and the causes of dental trauma as it relates with sociodemographic characteristics among dental patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study among patients attending a secondary oral healthcare facility in the North Central city of Jos between January 2019 and December 2020. The sociodemographic features of the patients include patients’ complaints, clinical and social history, result of simple clinical oral examinations, and diagnoses of dental trauma. The classification of Ellis and Davey (1970) was used to classify dental trauma for this study. RESULTS: One hundred and seventy-six (6.7%) patients presented with dental trauma involving 281 teeth. The mean age was 37.54 ± 2.16 years. The most common cause of dental trauma in 48 (27.3%) patients was bone cracking, followed by falls in 33 (18.8%), road traffic accidents (RTAs) in 26 (14.8%), and bottle opening with teeth in 26 (14.8%). Bone cracking was the major cause of dental trauma in 18 (31.0%) educated and 2 (28.6%) non-educated patients. Among the patients, 118 (67.1%) presented with single traumatized tooth. Permanent anterior teeth 151 (53.74%) were more involved, and class 2 trauma involving enamel and dentinal structure was the most common presentation. CONCLUSION: Oral health awareness campaign on the damaging effect of bone cracking and use of tooth for opening metal caps of bottled drinks among adult population will reduce the prevalence of dental trauma among many adult Nigerians.