Baby walker injury awareness among grade-12 girls in a high-prevalence Arab country in the Middle East

Traumatic dental injuries in the primary lower incisors

BACKGROUND

Primary lower incisors are susceptible to traumatic dental injury (TDI), which may affect both primary and permanent dentitions.

AIM

This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of TDIs in the primary lower incisors and the factors associated with their occurrence and with the incidence of sequelae in the permanent successor teeth.

DESIGN

Dental files (n = 2926) from patients who attended a reference center for dental trauma in the primary teeth, from 1998 to 2020, were screened. Multilevel Poisson regression analyses were conducted between exploratory variables related to the traumatized teeth and outcome variables: occurrences of severe TDI and sequelae in the permanent successor. Prevalence ratios (PRs), relative risks (RRs), and respective 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated.

RESULTS

One hundred and thirteen (3.9%) children and 208 teeth presented with TDIs in the primary lower incisors. The prevalence of severe TDI was lower in 4-year-olds (PR = 0.43; 95% CI = 0.19-0.94) than in 2-year-olds. Moreover, severe TDI was significantly associated with the occurrence of sequelae in the permanent successors (RR = 3.97; 95% CI = 1.72-9.18), when compared to not severe TDI.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of TDI in the primary lower incisors is low, with a higher prevalence in children younger than 3 years. Older children also present less frequently with severe TDI, and the risk of sequelae in permanent teeth is higher following severe TDI.

Neonatal intensive care admission for term neonates and subsequent childhood mortality: a retrospective linkage study

BACKGROUND

Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission among term neonates is a rare event. The aim of this study was to study the association of the NICU admission of term neonates on the risk of long-term childhood mortality.

METHODS

A single-center case-control retrospective study between 2005 and 2019, including all in-hospital ≥ 37 weeks' gestation singleton live-born neonates. The center perinatal database was linked with the birth and death certificate registries of the Israeli Ministry of Internal Affairs. The primary aim of the study was to study the association between NICU admission and childhood mortality throughout a 15-year follow-up period.

RESULTS

During the study period, 206,509 births were registered; 192,527 (93.22%) term neonates were included in the study; 5292 (2.75%) were admitted to NICU. Throughout the follow-up period, the mortality risk for term neonates admitted to the NICU remained elevated; hazard ratio (HR), 19.72 [14.66, 26.53], (p < 0.001). For all term neonates, the mortality rate was 0.16% (n = 311); 47.9% (n = 149) of those had records of a NICU admission. The mortality rate by time points (ratio_1:10,0000 births) related to the age at death during the follow-up period was as follows: 29, up to 7 days; 20, 7-28 days; 37, 28 days to 6 months; 21, 6 months to 1 year; 19, 1-2 years; 9, 2-3 years; 10, 3-4 years; and 27, 4 years and more. Following the exclusion of congenital malformations and chromosomal abnormalities, NICU admission remained the most significant risk factor associated with mortality of the study population, HRs, 364.4 [145.3; 913.3] for mortality in the first 7 days of life; 19.6 [12.1; 32.0] for mortality from 28 days through 6 months of life and remained markedly elevated after age 4 years; HR, 7.1 [3.0; 17.0]. The mortality risk related to the NICU admission event, adjusted for admission diagnoses remained significant; HR = 8.21 [5.43; 12.4].

CONCLUSIONS

NICU admission for term neonates is a pondering event for the risk of long-term childhood mortality. This group of term neonates may benefit from focused health care.

Baby walker injury, disability, and death in a high-income middle eastern country, as reported by siblings

Background

Baby walkers (BWs) are frequent causes of infant injuries. Little research is reported from the Middle East and few population-based studies anywhere.

Methods

Using multistage random sampling in a city of the United Arab Emirates, 4 of 8 female Arab government high schools and 3 final-year classes each from science and arts tracks were selected. Structured self-administered questionnaires assessed prevalence, frequency, severity, and external causes of BW incidents and injuries, and residential hazards.

Results

Response was 100 %, 696 students, 55 % (n = 385) Emirati citizens. 87 % (n = 605) of families used/had used BWs. Among 646 injuries were 118 ER (emergency) visits, 42 hospitalizations, 11 disabilities, and 3 deaths. Average risk was 1 incident/user, 1 injury/4 users, 1 ER visit/20, 1 hospitalization/55, 1 disability/200, 1 death/1000. Odds ratios for >1:1 floor levels were 2.3 (95 % confidence interval: 1.2, 4.3) for hospitalization, 16.8 (95 % CI: 2.1, 132.5) disability. Incidents included hitting objects 48 % (n = 1322), overturning 23 % (n = 632), accessing hazardous objects 17 % (n = 473), and falling down stairs 11 % (n = 300); 1 % (n = 32) fell into swimming pools. In 49 % (n = 297/605) of user families, ≥1 child had been injured.

Conclusions

Despite causing many injuries including disabilities and fatalities, BWs were used by nearly all families. Governments should consider Canada’s lead in prohibiting importation, sales, and advertising of BWs.