Spatial analysis of dental trauma in 12-year-old schoolchildren in Curitiba, Brazil

The purpose of this study was to build epidemiological indicators on the experience of dental trauma in 12-year-old schoolchildren in the city of Curitiba, Brazil, exploring its geographical and population distributions. A geographic information system (GIS) was used, built by means of ARCVIEW GIS 3.2 software and geographical databases of streets and districts defined within the boundaries of the city of Curitiba, provided by Curitiba's Institute of Research and Public Planning (IPPUC). The database used in the study was compiled based on an epidemiological survey undertaken in 1998 on a sample of 2126 schoolchildren 12 years old, residing in outlying urban suburbs distributed over 29 micro-areas in the city of Curitiba. The cases selected for this study were those with a history of dental trauma, thereby comprising a subsample of 327 schoolchildren. The spatial location of the schoolchildren's homes enabled the events to be visualized on a cartographic basis. The variables of gender, aetiology of the trauma and areas of substandard living conditions were included in the analysis and construction of thematic maps, thus making possible a descriptive analysis of the spatial distribution of dental trauma in the city. Intra-urban differentials were identified in the prevalence of dental trauma in 12-year-old schoolchildren in Curitiba. A greater concentration of occurrences was observed in the eastern region of the city, especially in areas of substandard living conditions. It was possible to conclude that socio-environmental and geophysical factors are associated with the determination of dental trauma in the city of Curitiba, pointing to the need for the development of public policies especially aimed at areas and populations at greater risk.