Prevalence of traumatic dental injuries in emergency dental services: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives This study aimed to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis regarding the prevalence of traumatic dental injuries (TDI) in emergency dental services. Methods Seven electronic and two grey literature databases were searched, up to December 2021, for studies that reported the TDI prevalence among dental emergencies. The Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist for prevalence studies, and The Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach were used to assess the risk of bias and quality of evidence respectively. The R software was used to perform a proportion meta-analysis on a random-effects model to estimate the pooled prevalence and respective 95% CI. Results From a total of 1476 studies identified after excluding duplicates, 38 met the inclusion criteria, and another five were identified through hand searching, summing 43 included observational studies with a total sample of 209099 individuals searching for emergency dental care. The overall pooled prevalence of TDI was 15.4% (95% CI: 11%-21%, I-2 = 100%). Paediatric dental emergency services and age group from 0 to 21 years presented the highest prevalence, 29% (95% CI: 22%-38%, I-2 = 99.5%) and 24% (95% CI: 15%-35%, I-2 = 98%) respectively. Conclusions The overall pooled prevalence of TDI in emergency dental services was 15.4%, and 24% in the age group under 21 years. Considering the impact of prompt and correct emergency care in the long-term prognosis of TDI, such knowledge is relevant to organize emergency healthcare and support public policies in this area.