Lip and tooth injuries at public swimming pools in Austria.

Abstract

BACKGROUND/AIMS:

There is an increased risk of orofacial injuries in swimming pool facilities. Nevertheless, only a few studies have addressed this issue. The aim of this study was to identify the frequency of lip and tooth injuries at public swimming pools in Austria. A further aim was to examine which gender and age groups were affected, where and why these injuries occurred, and whether pool attendants had sufficient knowledge of dental first-aid measures.

MATERIAL AND METHODS:

A total of 764 pool attendants in Austria were contacted by telephone and 689 participated in the study (90.2%). The attendants were interviewed retrospectively about accident occurrences in 2014 by a standardized questionnaire. Responses to the provision of first aid and choice of storage medium for avulsed teeth were subsequently evaluated.

RESULTS:

The frequency of lip injuries was 19.0%, and tooth injuries were 11.3%. Male bathers (P < .05) and children under 12 years (P < .001) most frequently suffered injuries. The waterslide was the most common accident site. The most common cause of lip injuries was slipping on wet surfaces (39.0%), and for tooth injuries it was collisions with other persons or objects (each 28.1%). The pool attendants' responses were predominantly good or sufficient on first aid, with the exception of what storage medium to choose. Tooth rescue boxes were available in only 8.6% of all pool facilities.

CONCLUSION:

Orofacial injuries are a frequently occurring problem in swimming pool facilities. The pool attendants' knowledge on first-aid care of tooth injuries could still be improved.

• Authors: Katharina Lechner, Thomas Connert, Sebastian Kühl, Andreas Filippi
• Journal: Dental traumatology : official publication of International Association for Dental Traumatology (Dent Traumatol) Vol. 33 Issue 3 Pg. 214-220 (Jun 2017) ISSN: 1600-9657 [Electronic] Denmark
• PMID: 28231409 (Publication Type: Journal Article)
• Copyright: © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Topics

• Adolescent
• Adult
• Austria (epidemiology)
• Child
• Female
• Humans
• Interviews as Topic
• Lip (injuries)
• Male
• Retrospective Studies
• Risk Factors
• Swimming Pools
• Tooth Injuries (epidemiology)