Research Paper:The Evaluation of The Etiology and Risk Factors Associated with Anterior Teeth Crown Fracture in North of Iran

 Abstract Introduction: Considering the importance of anterior teeth in chewing, speaking and esthetics, as well as the high prevalence of crown fracture among various traumatic injuries to the teeth, this study aimed to evaluate the etiology and risk factors associated with crown fractures of anterior teeth in 7-12 years old children. Materials and Methods:This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on a total of 742 children. Gender, current age, the age at which the dental trauma occurred, the type of the dental trauma, the etiology, the location, overjet, overbite and lip coverage were recorded for each child. The Chi-Square and Mann-Whitney tests were used to analyze the data with SPSS 16 software. The level of significance was set at 0.05. Results: Among 742 children, 84 children (11.3%) had crown fractures of permanent anterior teeth. Of the 84 children, 54 were boys (64.3%) and 30 were girls (35.7%), showing a ratio of boys to girls 1.8 to 1. The most common type of crown injury was enamel fracture (67.8%). Most injuries occurred at home (46.4%) and in summer (41.7%). The most common cause of anterior teeth crown fracture was falling (45.2%). Increased overjet and overbite and lip incompetency were found as predisposing  factors for anterior teeth crown fracture. Conclusion:Considering the importance of the anterior teeth, preventive educational  programs should be instituted directing parents and school teachers to inform them about the dental trauma and its complications.