Prevalence of dental and orofacial injuries and the knowledge of athletes about emergency procedures

Abstract

Objective: to evaluate the prevalence of dental traumatic injuries in athletes and the knowledge of sportsmen about emergency procedures in cases of dental trauma, as well as the frequency of mouth guard use. Material and Methods: a total of 179 sportsmen, aged between 7 and 28 years, who were amateur soccer athletes in the city of Campinas, SP, Brazil, were evaluated by a questionnaire to assess their knowledge about appropriate conduct in cases of dental trauma, previous experience and the types of injuries suffered during their time practicing sports, athlete/dentist surgeon relationship and the use of a mouth guard. The athletes were also clinically examined, evaluating the presence of traumatic lesions, treatment that had been performed and its sequels, dental grouping and number of affected teeth, type of lip sealing and the size of the incisal overjet. Results: the mean age was 14.8 years. Most of the respondents (72.6%) never received any information about dental trauma. Regarding the use of the mouth guard, only 2.8% reported use; 43% of the interviewees did not know how to proceed in cases of avulsion. Conclusion: the prevalence of dental trauma verified during clinical examination in the study population was 12.7%. Knowledge about appropriate post-traumatic conduct was insufficient. The use of mouth guards among the evaluated athletes was low.