Survey on aerodontalgia in fighter pilots and relevant factors analysis

Objective To investigate the incidence rate of aerodontalgia in fighter pilots and analyze the related factors. Methods The cross-section study was used. The invasion of aerodontalgia was obtained upon a questionnaire survey from 192 fighter pilots, including the occurrence time, degree, and location and the incidence rate was calculated. The flying hours and the dental disease were compared between the pilots with and without aerodontalgia. Results The incidence rate of aerodontalgia in fighter pilots was 4.17% (8/192). In 8 aerodontalgia cases 7 pilots had dental disease. But in 184 pilots who felt free of aerodontalgia, 53 pilots (28.80%) were diagnosed as dental disease. There were significant difference between the incidence rates (χ2=109.634, P 0.05). The average flying hours of 8 pilots with aerodontalgia were (2 425.00±1 445.93) h while the average flying hours of 184 pilots without aerodontalgia was (1 703.56±1 331.08) h. There was no significant difference between them (P>0.05). Conclusions The incidence rate of aerodontalgia was higher in the fighter pilots with dental disease. But the incidence rate has no correlation to the location of toothache and flying hours. It is suggested that pilots should conduct oral examinations every 6-12 months in order to detect and treat dental diseases in time. Key words: Toothache; Aviation; Oral hygiene, statistical; Questionnairs; Pilots