Traumatic dental injuries in children: experience during the Covid-19 pandemic and parents' knowledge about their management

ABSTRACT

Abstract The social isolation measures adopted during the critical phase of the COVID-19 pandemic led children to spend most of their time at home. Isolation may alter the pattern of traumatic dental injury occurrences, inasmuch as studies point out that most traumatic accidents occur at home. Considering this scenario and the influence of emergency management on the prognosis of the injury, the aim of this study was to evaluate the experience of traumatic dental injuries in children before and during the pandemic, and the knowledge of this topic by the children's guardians. This cross-sectional study was conducted with guardians of children aged 0 to 6 years, residing in Juiz de Fora, MG, Brazil. The guardians answered an online questionnaire addressing personal information, traumatic dental injury experience before and during the pandemic, and knowledge of this topic. Descriptive and statistical analyses were performed using Pearson's chi-square test at a 5% significance level. The total sample consisted of 343 volunteers. A total of 95 and 92 injuries were reported before and during the pandemic, respectively; the home was the place of greatest occurrence. Most volunteers (88.1%) agreed that traumatic dental injuries are emergency situations, and were aware that the tooth/fragment had to be taken to the dentist after a fracture or avulsion (97.4%). This study revealed that the traumatic dental injury experience was similar before and during the pandemic, and that the volunteers had satisfactory knowledge, especially in recognizing the importance of immediate attention for a more favorable prognosis of these injuries.