A Two-Year Retrospective Study on the Pattern of Dental Trauma and its Etiology, Northwest Ethiopia

Background. In Ethiopia traumatic dental injury (TDI) is seriously neglected, regardless of its current increased incidence rate. Objective. To determine the etiology and types of TDIs among traumatized patients admitted to Gondar University Hospital Dental Clinic (GUHDC) between September 2013 and August 2015. Methods. A retrospective descriptive study design was conducted using previous medical records of 309 patients. Records were retrieved, reviewed and analyzed. Results. A total of 309 dental traumatic patients with a mean age of 24.32±5.47 were admitted to the GUHDC. It was found that TDIs were most frequent in males (80.3%), 21-30 age range (47.2%) and rural residents (58.3%). Interpersonal violence (74.1%) and road traffic accidents (23.3%) were the most common etiological factors. The study also revealed that maxillary central incisor was the most frequently affected tooth.