Dental trauma experience of visually impaired and sighted children residing in residential schools - a comparative cross-sectional study.

Aim: To assess and compare the prevalence of dental trauma in a population of 9- to 16-year-old children with partially impaired vision and sighted children of Jodhpur city, Rajasthan State in India.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 121 children with partial impairment of vision were compared with a control group of 356 sighted children for traumatic injuries to the permanent dentition. Children in both the group were aged between 9 and 16 years and residing in a residential school. The survey was carried out using Ellis and Davy's classification of tooth fracture. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical analysis, and the Chi-square test was used to compare different variables with P < .05.

Results: The overall prevalence rates of traumatic dental injury (TDI) in the visually impaired and sighted groups were 24.79% and 9.39%, respectively (P = .000). Enamel fracture was the most common type of injury, and the maxillary central incisor was most frequently involved in both the groups. Children with overjet >3 mm sustained TDI more frequently in visually impaired children. TDI was higher in children with overjet ≤3 mm in sighted groups (P = .000). In both the groups children with inadequate lip coverage had higher occurrence of TDI (P = .000).

Conclusion: Dental trauma appeared to be more frequent in visually impaired compared to sighted children. The unmet treatment need for children with TDI was very high.