engleski

Aggressive Behaviour as a Risk Factor for Dental Injuries

Objectives: Numerous child or host factors play an important role in occurrence of traumatic dental injuries (TDI). Previous studies have revealed that increased risk for injuries might be associated with child’s hyperactivity and aggressive behaviour. The aim was therefore to assess aggressive behaviour in children with single injury (SI) and children with repeated injuries (RI). Methods: The study of child’s physical aggression was performed in the sample of 114 children aged 9 – 17 years (80 males and 34 females) with TDI. All patients were devided in two age groups: 9 – 11 years, and 12 – 17 years. Each group comprised children with SI and RI. The Overt Aggression Scale (OAS) was used to assess level of aggression in children. Results: Males displayed higher risk for RI than females (OR = 3.286 ; 95% CI = 1.436 – 7.603). Boys in the age group 12 – 17 year display significantly higher OAS scores than girls (t = 6.280 ; P < 0.001. Aggressive males aged 9 – 11 years have 3.2 times higher risk for injury repetition than males with low aggression score (OR = 3.214 ; 95% CI = 0.991 – 10.424). Males aged 12 – 17 years with high OAS score have 7 times higher risk for injury repetition (OR = 7.000 ; 95% CI = 1.185 – 41.360). Conclusion: High scores of physical aggression represent increased risk for injury repetition in boys but not in girls. The assessment of physical aggression in males with TDI could serve as an aid to identify children at higher risk for injury repetition and to benefit from preventive interventions.

Aggressive behaviour; dental injuries; children

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