METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted to assess self-reported dental injuries and knowledge of their management. An intraoral examination was performed using the decayed, missing, and filled teeth (DMFT) index following the World Health Organization guidelines.
RESULTS: A total of 61 para-athletes (men = 90.16%, n = 55; women = 9.84%, n = 6) from different sports categories with different disabilities randomly participated in this study. The incidence of self-reported dental injuries was 18.0% (n = 11), with the most common injury being crown tooth fracture (72.7%) and lip laceration (63.6%). However, the majority of the athletes (70.5%, n = 43) did nothing after experiencing dental trauma, and 82.0% (n = 50) were unaware of the immediate management of dental trauma. Based on the intraoral examination, only 9.8% (n = 6) of the athletes had perfectly sound teeth. The mean total DMFT index was 3.49 ± 2.371, while the mean DMFT index for decayed, missing, and filled teeth was 1.28 ± 1.293, 0.74 ± 0.705, and 1.48 ± 1.120, respectively. The mean DMFT index for decayed, missing, and filled teeth and total DMFT index significantly differed among the types of disabilities (P .05).
CONCLUSION: The most commonly reported injuries among para-athletes are crown tooth fractures and lip lacerations. The total DMFT index among para-athletes is moderate, emphasising the need for improvements.