Prevalence of Dental Fracture in Special Needs Patients

Purpose: To investigate the prevalence of dental fractures in young patients with special needs who attend the Center of Studies and Assistance to Special Needs Patients (NEAPE).Method: 57 children accompanied by their parents/guardians, who had sought treatment at NEAPE (School of Dentistry of S o José dos Campos/UNESP) were evaluated. Detailed clinical examination and clinical interview were performed and data referring to gender, age, type of fracture (enamel, enamel/dentin and enamel/dentin/pulp), number of affected teeth and cause of fracture.Results: 22 (38.59%) out of 57 children enrolled in the study had fractured teeth (27.2% male and 72.8% female). The maxillary central incisors were the most frequently affected teeth (63.83%). Regarding the type of fracture, 61.7% (95% CI 46.3 to 75.4) involved enamel and dentin, followed by enamel fractures (21.3%) (95% CI 10.7 a 35.66) and those involving enamel, dentin and pulp (17%) (95% CI 7.64 to 30.81). The most frequent causes of dental fractures in syndromic patients were: fall (36.4%), convulsive crisis (18.2%) and bruxism (18.2%). Dental caries represented 4.5% of the causes of dental fracture. In 22.7% of the cases the cause of the fracture was not identified.Conclusion: In conclusion, 38.59% of the children with special needs presented dental fractures, which were more common in the maxillary central incisors. Down’s syndrome and cerebral palsy were the most frequent conditions, and falls, convulsions, bruxism and dental caries were the main causes associated to dental fractures.