Prevalence of dental, oral, and maxillofacial traumatic injuries among domestic violence victims: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND/AIMS

Domestic violence (DV) encompasses a series of abusive behaviors, perpetrated in a family environment, against individuals of all ages and genders. Injuries to the head, neck, and face are frequent findings among victims of abuse, negatively impacting their quality of life. Although oral and maxillofacial injuries (OMFI) and traumatic dental injuries (TDI) are commonly diagnosed among DV victims, their prevalence is still unknown. This systematic review was aimed to assess the prevalence of OMFI and TDI among victims of DV.

METHODS

The protocol of the review was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42023424235). Literature searches were performed in eight electronic databases, up to August 7th, 2023. Observational studies published in the Latin-roman alphabet and reporting the prevalence of OMFI and/or TDI were included. The Joanna Briggs Institute's critical appraisal tool, checklist for prevalence studies, was used for quality assessment. Results were presented as qualitative and quantitative syntheses.

RESULTS

Seventeen studies, totaling 12,375 victims of domestic violence, were included. Meta-analyses showed an overall prevalence of 29% (95% CI: 15%-48%, I2  = 99%) and 4% (95% CI: 1%-10%, I2  = 98%) for OMFI and TDI, respectively. Higher pooled prevalence for OMFI (41%, 95% CI: 13%-46%, I2  = 99%) was demonstrated in samples with only women. OMFI was less prevalent (20%) among DV victims under 18, while TDI was lower among adults (1%). Hospital samples presented higher pooled prevalence of OMFI (32%), and forensic data from fatal victims presented higher prevalence of TDI (8%).

CONCLUSION

The overall prevalence of OMFI and TDI in DV victims was 29% and 4%, respectively. Women victims of DV presented higher rates of OFMI (41%) and TDI (6%).

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%, I² = 100%). Paediatric dental emergency services and age group from 0 to 21 years presented the highest prevalence, 29% (95% CI: 22%-38%, I² = 99.5%) and 24% (95% CI: 15%-35%, I² = 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.