Evaluation of dental trauma in inmates of the most highly populated Brazilian prison complex

BACKGROUND/AIM Due to the increase in incarceration rates, the prison community has attracted much concern in the recent past. Although people in prison are often socially disadvantaged and vulnerable to a range of health problems, there is a lack of information on the oral health conditions of prisoners. Thus, the aim of this study was to survey the oral problems of a sample of the male incarcerated population of Brazil, focusing on dental trauma. MATERIAL AND METHODS The research was undertaken over a three-month period in 2017. It was a cross-sectional study of 756 prisoners of the Curado Prison Complex, located in Recife, PE. Using a previously calibrated examiner, dental trauma was measured with the Andreasen index. Etiology of dental trauma and socio-demographic data were collected with questions developed for this survey. Standard descriptive statistics were used to report frequency estimates. The chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and Mann-Whitney U-test were used to compare groups. In addition, a binary logistic regression was performed to identify whether the studied variables could predict the occurrence of dental trauma. RESULTS The prevalence of dental trauma in the sample was 10.8% and most of the cases (42.7%) occurred due to violent events. A higher frequency of violent etiology was observed in cases that occurred during imprisonment (p = 0.037). Individuals that suffered dental trauma during incarceration were more likely to have been incarcerated for longer periods of time (p = 0.043). The main type of injury found was enamel and dentin fracture without pulp exposure (68%). The most affected tooth was the upper right central incisor (40%). CONCLUSION These results underline the high prevalence of dental trauma experienced by men in prison.