The relationship between traumatic dental injuries and adolescents' non‐suicidal self‐injury behaviour: A cross‐sectional analysis of an East London cohort

• Published in: Dental traumatology 2023-04, Vol.39 (2), p.173-178
• Main Authors: Mohd Yani, Azri Aliah Binti, Marcenes, Wagner, Stansfeld, Stephen A., Bernabé, Eduardo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescents; Case reports; Child & adolescent psychiatry; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dentistry; Humans; Injuries; London - epidemiology; Prevalence; Prospective Studies; Regression analysis; Risk Factors; Self destructive behavior; Self-Injurious Behavior - epidemiology; self‐injurious behaviour; Suicidal behavior; Surveys; Teenagers; Teeth; tooth injuries; Tooth Injuries - epidemiology; Trauma
• ISSN: 1600-4469; 1600-9657
• DOI: 10.1111/edt.12806

Background/Aim Recent reviews of case reports have pointed out a potential connection between non‐suicidal self‐injury (NSSI) and traumatic dental injuries (TDIs). The aim of this study was to investigate the association of a history of NSSI with TDIs in 15‐ to 16‐year‐old adolescents. Methods This study analysed cross‐sectional data from the Research with East London Adolescents Community Health Survey, a prospective population survey of adolescents attending state schools in East London, England. The history of NSSI was obtained using two items from the Lifestyle and Coping questionnaire (whether they have ever engaged with self‐harm and the last time they engaged in such behaviours). The presence of TDIs, increased overjet and inadequate lip coverage were determined through clinical assessments by two trained dentists. Survey logistic regression was fitted to test the association of NSSI with TDIs. Odds ratios (ORs) were adjusted for socio‐demographic and clinical characteristics as potential confounders. Results The lifetime and last‐year prevalence of NSSI were 11.9% and 6.7%, respectively, whereas the prevalence of TDIs was 16.5%. Neither the lifetime prevalence of NSSI (OR: 1.02, 95% confidence interval: 0.56–1.85) nor the last‐year prevalence of NSSI (OR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.36–1.61) were associated with TDIs in regression models adjusted for confounders. Conclusion This study did not support an association between history of NSSI and TDIs among adolescents aged 15–16 years old in East London.