Extent, Clinical Consequences, and Temporal Changes of Traumatic Dental Injuries Among 12‐Year‐Old Brazilian Adolescents: A Repeated Cross‐Sectional Study

BACKGROUND/AIM: Population studies of traumatic dental injuries often focus on prevalence, providing limited information on severity and clinical relevance. This study characterized traumatic dental injuries by extent, distribution, and clinical consequences among Brazilian 12-year-olds, examined associated factors, and assessed temporal changes between 2010 and 2023. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data from the 2023 Brazilian National Oral Health Survey included 6680 participants with valid injury data and were compared with 2010 data from 7241 participants with valid injury data. Injuries were assessed in the eight permanent incisors. Outcomes included overall and tooth-specific prevalence, extent (number of affected teeth), and clinically consequential injuries, defined as enamel-dentin fracture, pulpal involvement, or tooth loss. Associations and temporal comparisons used survey-weighted Poisson regression. RESULTS: In 2023, traumatic dental injury prevalence was 13.66%, and 31.15% of affected adolescents had two or more injured teeth. No sociodemographic or clinical characteristic was associated with overall injury occurrence or multiple-tooth involvement after adjustment. Among affected adolescents, clinically consequential injuries were more prevalent in females than males (adjusted prevalence ratio, 3.16; 95% confidence interval, 1.32-7.55). From 2010 to 2023, overall prevalence decreased from 21.47% to 13.66%. Adjusted prevalence ratios for 2023 versus 2010 were 0.61 for overall injury and 0.62 for clinically consequential injury, with no evidence of change in multiple-tooth involvement. The largest tooth-specific reductions occurred in the maxillary central incisors, while four of eight incisors showed no evidence of change. CONCLUSIONS: In 2023, traumatic dental injuries affected approximately one in seven Brazilian 12-year-olds. No adjusted associations were evident for overall occurrence or multiple-tooth involvement, although clinically consequential injuries were more prevalent among females. Overall traumatic dental injury occurrence declined between 2010 and 2023. Among affected adolescents, adjusted analysis suggested a lower prevalence of clinically consequential injuries in 2023, although this estimate was less precise.