Comparative Study of Dental Pain Between Children With and Without a History of Maltreatment

Aims: To assess the presence of dental pain in child abuse victims and to compare the findings to children in the same age group with no history of abuse in a Southern Brazilian city. Methods: This cross-sectional comparative study was carried out in a convenience sample of 68 child abuse victims from a center for psychologic support and in a comparative group of 204 students from public and private schools, all aged between 8 and 12 years. Data for socioeconomic and demographic variables were collected, and information regarding dental pain in the last 6 months was obtained via interviews with the children. World Health Organization criteria were used to assess the presence of decayed, missing, or filled teeth in primary and permanent dentition. Dental trauma was measured using the O'Brien Index, and gingival bleeding was assessed. Crude and adjusted logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between dental pain and history of abuse. Results: Reporting of dental pain was higher among child abuse victims (54.41%) than in the comparative group (36.14%) (P .01). After adjustment for clinical variables in the logistic regression analyses, the child abuse victims group had an odds ratio of 2.03 (95% confidence interval 1.13 to 3.64) for dental pain (P = .01). Conclusion: Child abuse victims presented a higher prevalence of dental pain than children with no history of maltreatment, regardless of oral health status. Keywords: child, child abuse, oral health, pain, toothache